pet peeve
10/19/2007 02:48 a.m.
There's definitely something better in me, hiding in the recesses. I've been typing an assignment for 3 hours. Started tonight, due tomoroow. I swear to God this site has made me a better writer, a more analytical person, but with the ability to recognize what works. Because we've all read the poems we've made that work, those that don't, and those that just barely pass the threshold we allow for ourselves.

I miss the good old days here. I've read some poems lately that have so many comments it's hard to find the bottom, so many ratings is phenomenal, and I get psyched like I'm about to read an Aiko Scott or a Ryan Heidorn (or countless others good and gone), but then I see a cute a picture or a wacky font. Don't get me wrong, these things are great when they aren't gimmicky. One of my newest is a concrete poem. But I hate it when writers make their work into a flashy, eye catching little ditty that doesn't speak to the actual meaning of the poem. And its worse when the poem isn't all that great either. These poems turn into Walmarts of the e-poetry world: lots of advertising for banal but generally consumable goods. Just to be clear I'm not targeting anybody in particular. I'm sure we're all guilty of it at some point or another, or else we don't have the html skills to be guilty (that'd be me, and trust me, I remember the days where I was like 'dammit! if only I knew how to upload a sweet graphic'. I would have then if I could have). I've seen it alot on other sites too, not just here. But it gets to me now. It really does. I'm not saying every poem with a picture is a bad one. FAR FROM IT. In lots of cases the picture truly does accentuate the language, or reveals a facet the words didn't. But honestly, if you're gonna dress it up, make sure it can speak for itself first. You shouldn't need (key word NEED) a picture to convey your images.

In my opinion. But what do I know :P Just had to get that off my chest. I guess that's what happens when you've been boring your eyeballs into prose for better part of an evening, haha.

Alright, well, that said, I don't feel the need to keep typing.
I am currently Better
I am listening to John Mayer