Exquisite Corpse

[lazariuk]

I guess T.S. Eliot took issue with something read in a book.

These poetic guys keep communicating to each other long after they are gone. That is why Leonard can hear Hank Williams coughing.

[William]

Lizzy
I am almost an exquisite (or not) corpse!
Tempus is fugiting

[lizzytysh]

Tee-hee, good point, Jack. I'll take you up on that.

"Tempus is fugiting" ~ Tempus as in tempest? Fugiting as in fugitive? Morphing into corpsus, as in tempestuousness taking flight from oneself? As you can see, I'm resisting picking up the dictionary.

We'll assent to your being an exquisite one, William. Why not?


~ Lizzy

[Manna]

Wordsworth in speaking about poetry once made the comment that "To dissect is to kill" and to that he got a strong rebuke from T.S.Eliot who replied that it is the poem that we have in front of us and not the poet and in many important ways the poem is already dead. Eliot was of the opinion that a poem should be examined with all the resources that are available, without concern that anything will be lost by doing so.

I have been thinking about this. I think both guys have equally strong points. When a newcomer joins us here with his first post being a poem (as happens sometimes), the poem is all we have. Sometimes a single poem is all you have. If you're studying a particular poet, you may feel that you've gotten to know that person. And as such, you may "get" things in a particular poem that others, who read only that one poem, don't. The more you know, the more you can learn. (Not bad, I may make that my new signature.) Is it better to consider the poem as a corpse, or to consider it as written by a living human being who is trying to communicate? Sounds like today I am more interested in the human.

Luckily, you can dissect a poem without hurting anyone. The poem will still be intact when we are done using our stainless tools on it. If a man stood before me, I think I would just leave my tools in the drawer.

[Manna]

If you want, we can do an exquisite corpse. Do you know what it is? Someone writes a first line. The next person sees that line and writes the next line. Every subsequent person sees only the line that came before. You usually end up with a fun pile of nonsense. Wanna play?

thought I'd bring this over here. How to play exquisite corpse was never put into this thread. Also, it pops the thread back to the top and keeps interest going. I hope.

It's been pretty fun for me watching the poem take shape. We can handle more participation, there's no need to be shy. Sorry to those I hadn't given the option to, but if you want to remain anonymagoo, just say so and I shall respect your wishes.

[Manna]

we have 7 lines - 7 participants. (I hope I didn't miss anyone. I had to delete a bunch of PMs to make room for PMs, let me know if I've forgotten you!!)

Otherwise, do we want to call it finished or shall I send it thru the ranks again? I can just send it around through the same folks who are already involved, if we want a longer poem. Or we can have a look at the finished corpse.

[lazariuk]

we have 7 lines - 7 participants. (I hope I didn't miss anyone. I had to delete a bunch of PMs to make room for PMs, let me know if I've forgotten you!!)

Otherwise, do we want to call it finished or shall I send it thru the ranks again? I can just send it around through the same folks who are already involved, if we want a longer poem. Or we can have a look at the finished corpse.

I say let it pass through the ranks again

there was a time when in the hospital I dealt with two things that i didn't like having to do each morning in a unique way. I poured the lousy grapefruit juice that they wanted me to drink into the glass that they wanted me to piss into.

A little cloudy this morning says the nurse as she looks at what is suppose to be my piss.

Oh then let me run it through again I say as I take the glass and drink it

[Manna]

well, now I have to ask - are you taking the piss?

[Paula]

Ok Manna if you have to round robin it again can I please have a line with less lateral thinking in it?

[lizzytysh]

"Here we go round the mulberry bush, the mulberry bush, the mulberry bush... " ~ I just finished my second round.

Sounds like something you'd do, Jack .


~ Lizzy

[Lion of Lions]

I would like to play this game.

[lizzytysh]

Hi Lion of Lions ~

Super! Send a PM to Manna and she'll put you in the rotation.


~ Lizzy