Existential Driftwood : Forum : Assignment #2 due January 31


Assignment #2 due January 31

14 Years Ago


Figured I'd post this for Lynne during a bout of insomnia... ******   Hola,   We have seen what your own favorite pieces were from this past year... now we want to see what you were reading and inspired by in 2009. Post a blurb here (forum) about one, two, or three of your favorite writes by OTHER authors in 2009, and a link to the work. If you can put it in words, tell us why you liked it so much, and share it with the the rest of us. Have your entries in by January 31"   Gracias!!

Re: Assignment #2 due January 31

14 Years Ago


Can't get the damn formatting to work right... and cannot seem to erase it to start over, either. Here are my words from above, reposted:  
All right- I will try to get this party started. I will tell you that, like most of you, I read hundreds of pieces on site last year, and there are many that were quite good. Many made me think, made me pause; a few made me laugh, some made me cry, etc. If I look back and ask, what were my absolute favorites... it was actually an easier question to answer than I thought it might be. There were four pieces I read that, to me, were absolutely perfect, each in their own way (and the pieces have four very different styles). In no particular order; the writings that enthralled me in 2009:                                                                                                     
The first was Kylan's "apostasy among the tallgrass" I loved this piece for its sideways imagery and strange perspective. I loved it for ebing so matter-of-fact. I think I sent it to everyone on my friends list. I loved the fact it was written by a HS kid. I thought, "when I can write like that, I'll call myself a poet" and ask to be paid for my work.                                                                                                                                      Next was Phibby Venable's "Death & Small Pieces" There is something about this that makes me choke up every time I read it. To me, it is the definitive piece about putting feelings into words when you lost someone. I can picture that prairie, and that violet... they haunt me, sometimes.                                                                                                 
Third, I give you Linda Marie Van Tassel's "Teach Me to Whisper" To me, this is one of the most perfect love poems I have ever had the pleasure of reading and pondering. It was a strange year for love, for me. This poem gave me hope. This poem taught me, perhaps, what to ask for in that realm. To demand. Isn't that what poetry is suppoed to do?                                                                                                       
 Finally, I end my soliloquy with a nod to Cool Handless Luke and his terrifying masterpiece "The Sky's Too Bright"  My favorite review of this piece begins with, "You have to forgive us poor mortals..." After reading this, early on in my forays into the site, I almost put down my writing pen. I said, "I cannot call myself a poet after reading this". None-the-less, I persevered, but I still maintain I have seldom seen a more finely crafted descent into the subconscious than this piece. If I had to pick a favorite from the year, just one, this would be it.                                                                                              
 
 Enjoy, and Happy 2010 to the rest of you!