Tuesday, March 23, 2010

New Feature: CannedJihad!

I am trying to tone down my extremist ways re: literature, but I admit, it's damned difficult. Really, what am I supposed to say to this? http://poemblaze.wordpress.com

It's not like I can unsee it. It's not like I can reach into my brain and remove the words. I know, you're asking "why don't you just leave the poor fucker alone?" Oh, I guess we could, but if you're on CombatWords! it's partially because you too believe that conflict builds strength.

Here. Okay. I'm going to make this fair. If I'm going to feature a twaddle-peddler, then I should also feature someone with some lit ability, right? Okay. So to make it fair, here's someone who's not such an easy target: http://godlessmonkey.wordpress.com/

I don't think he's a bad writer, but he has yet to impress me. Anyhow, for now, CannedJihad! will feature writers of varying strength. Top 'em. That's the trick. Outwrite 'em. I was lazy earlier today and should have just out-written the poemblaze guy, but what can I say? Sometimes I'm antagonistic. It's why I curate CombatWords! after all.

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10 comments:

  1. speaking of which: have you seen that documentary about the rivalry between larry bird and magic johnson? it's spectacular. bird lost interest in playing basketball the day magic retired. no need to read the stats in the box scores anymore. he had no one to compete against. the two worst days of his life: the day his dad died, the day magic retired - and the second one was more painful. seventeen years later, there he is, being interviewed on camera and *crying* as he remembers. doppelgangers. i'm not doing it justice here, you have to see it to believe it.

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  2. Never saw the documentary, but I remember their rivalry. Competition makes both competitors stronger. The best know that they must lose to win.

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  3. I tried alphainventions for a week. Hadn't heard of it before so I used it to see whether it did any real promotion. It didn't, so I removed it.

    I don't get your attitude here. You aren't Mr. Shakespeare yourself, so why screech about other people, if it isn't just to get ratings for yourself?

    Chill. I guess you did promote my site, in your odd way. I've had some people whose poetry I respect really like my work, I've had others not like it. That's the nature of writing, it's pretty damn subjective.

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  4. Since your poetry is all the forced rhyme stuff I hate and my poetry is something you hate, let's just not read each other's stuff. There is a vast internet out there and each of us could go happily for years without seeing each other. My wish.

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  5. poemblaze, if you have a problem with my verse, please--I'm all ears. I think we'd like to all see how astute (or not) you are as a reader.

    Of course combat promoted your site. Don't be a tautology-machine.

    Even better, let's do battle. You name the time (time zone please), I'll confirm and we'll let the audience decide. You can even pick styles--I'm pretty sure a regular meter and rhyme-scheme are too hard for you. Justin Blackstock not only sniped back, he actually put in a poem to show he is abundant--not scarce.

    Two posts in a row demonstrates at least some desire to vindicate yourself. There is no vindication without first battling. Draw your pen!

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  6. So will ye defend your honor? Or is this all idle sound and fury, signifying nothing?

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  7. You are a loud, moderately talented person with a very narrow view of what poetry is. I don't need to compete with you. If you do want to post this, make it for a brief time.

    Home

    After submerging order, light, the day—
    A soldiery of doubt usurps hope’s place,
    Soon nestled sly amid the pulsing gray
    Nerve ends where soul meets sky. In dark I trace
    Each tender face I’ve cast aside through lies
    And bitter rage disguised as honest love.
    A shudder, chill regret: does grief make wise?
    This empty desert the sagebrush scours rough
    Cannot remain my home. A woodland glen
    Sways with wildflowers due north. I travel slow
    To slough my skin and walk, a man again.
    I thread a path too old for me to know.
    The heavens wheel about the north star’s light.
    I aim for there. I tread the breeze all night.

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  8. Ah, much better. You do have a problem here w/ the mixed metaphor, but I'm glad you made the effort and defended your honor. I only wish I had seen it last night so we could do cannedcombat the way it's supposed to be done: on the clock. Since it took you some time to post this, I'm going take care of other matters before I riposte. If you wrote more poems like this on your page, I wouldn't have mocked you.

    See? Nothing like enmity to bring out the best in us.

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  9. I wrote this a long time ago. It is on my blog. Delete my post to you and don't use the poem anywhere else. I'm done.

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  10. Clarifying: delete my poem, please.

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