I stumbled upon a flicr site today that has unnerved me. It belongs to Gary Isaac. I am loathe to send you there. You will love it, sure, but it makes my paltry work. . . well, paltry. I was sick with envy as I looked through his images and read his stories. There is no mania there but for good work. I tell myself now is the time to quit it, to slow down and post only when I have everything right. But then again, I might never post.
I will leave it at that. Follow the link. You will spend time there.
I had this conversation with a friend of mine yesterday. She sent me a link to a New Yorker poem she had read. We didn't like it and then wended our way into a conversation we've had 100 times over the last 5 years; about our work and the sickness called jealousy that, from time to time, rises up inside us.
ReplyDeleteShe hasn't written seriously since she bought the book McSweeney's Poets Picking Poets. It did her in she says -- not cause the poems are so good but because the poems written by the young new MFA's are so ordinary and yet they were kissing Mr. John Ashbery's poems.
Once, I stumbled across a young girl who wrote poems I could only dream of dreaming to write -- it made me sick to my stomach and I told those closest to me I was done. To what purpose was there for me to continue?
I didn't want anyone to read her -- because if they read her they'd acknowledge the fact that she was brilliant and they'd never have to read me again. How distressing!
I sent the poem to my lover who has been writing for 30 mostly undiscovered years said to me -- "It is our job, upon discovering Beauty, to share it, no matter where it comes from. To keep it hidden is wrong."
And so, thanks for the link. I'll have a look. I'm sure it will be great. But I'm sure it won't be Cafe Selavy.
:)
Yes, he's good...very good...but nothing resonates with me like Cafe Selavy does. Enjoy him but don't compare.
ReplyDeletefollow the link and spent the next couple of hours enjoying it. Thanks for the link.
ReplyDeletehope everyone has a great sunday!
D
I will take a look - I remember when you recommended Mark Tucker. He did amazing stuff, just like you said he did. But I don't visit very often - I don't know why.
ReplyDeleteMaybe I'm comfortable with what you turn out?