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SNARCOPHAGY: n., the major media's cannibalization of the public brain through the use of pervasive spin, overblown rhetoric, and nagging pablum, the goal of which is to bypass rational voter thought, disrupt critical social dialogue, and cause a complete democratic system failure. [Take note, OED: Word and definition created by TL Patten, Dec. 2004]
1 comment:
We all have our influences--usually more than we realize. Some of mine are EE Cummings, William Carlos Williams, Arthur Rimbaud, Carl Sandburg, Lewis Carroll, Emily Dickinson, Wallace Stevens, Wm. Shakespeare, Wm. Butler Yeats, Lord Byron, Percy Bysshe Shelly, Elinor Wylie, Charles Baudelaire, John Donne, T.S. Eliot, and W.H. Auden.
When I was a child I tried on their styles one at a time. You can still find their traces in my stuff, in the way I juxtapose words and imagery, the way I choose to break (or not break) a line. My use of punctuation and capitals (or lack of them) and where I choose to run-on words.
It took me a while to find my own voice. I've been writing poetry in spits and spurts since I was 10, so I guess that makes it 29 years. I've had a couple of things published, but never made an effort at it. Now I'm pretty much comfortable with what comes out, whether structured or not. Both modern and classical forms have their uses.
Keep at it. Poetry is a wonderful way to explore self-expression. The language becomes freer, looser, and explanations are not required. :)
Tat
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