h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Entry: Change - A54170129
Author: Kyra - U1572880

I don't know anything about poems, or artistic writing. I dunno if this is worthy of anything at all. And to tell the truth, I'll be hurt if there are negative comments. But I'd rather it was actually read by someone, than just left forgotten somewhere in my computer's memory.

Okay ...

Chickened out and un-submitted. Never mind.

Too late, I caught it.

Glad I did. Reading it took me out of where I was, got me thinking, and I love the space in it for thought.

Its format, clarity, spareness, repetition, c's and p's sounds make it poetry in my book.

In content, it's rewarding thought-provocation. As I read it I questioned the general experience of "that's what we're led to believe" but that's just my perspective - my experience being told change is good when my natural reaction is against it. Something I need to watch.

Thanks for posting it, however briefly, and I hope you don't mind my commenting after you withdrew it. I wouldn't have except you did say you wanted it read, I know that feeling.

Wow, thanks

hullo Kyra hullo LLWaz!

Helen here .. aka cactuscafe ... and alterego ID as phantomcactus .. don't ask .. but LLWa knows me ... ...



I just picked up this conversation quite by chance .. quite strange in fact ..... I was just into my phantomcactus PS ... after weeks and and weeks .. dusting it off for various challenging reasons ... and this conversation had literally just appeared in my inbox ........

...

and now I am confused because the conversation ... and your poem Kyra ..... are intact .... then I see that you got nervous and withdrew ..... but I have read your beautiful poem anyway .. oh no! am I intruding ? ... the text is still intact in my inbox conversations list .. but I will treat it with delicacy as I understand nervousness ... I really do understand nervousness ... like you wouldn't believe ...

point is ... I am so happy Krya that I have read your beautiful poem .. and I loved the equally poetic textures of your comments LLWaz ...

and thankyou for sharing your poem anyway ...

and your intro kind of inspired me also .. I like the courage you have to say what you said about negative comments etc ... you spoke a lot for me as a matter of fact ... ..

so strange I just stumbled on this conversation ...meant to be? hah! .. or just coincidence .. I am right on the brink of risking getting back out there ... (I submitted work to the AWW about three or four years ago .. then got scared and ran to write poems in my journal for three years ... ) ..

I am keen on exploring many things to do with aspects of sharing work .... many aspects of the writing process ... reasons for sharing ... beyond the conventional reasons .. as I love to talk to people about why they write .. what it means to them .. and sharing images and textures and things like that ....

will this shove me over the brink .. or not .. ...

have to go right now ...... may I return to offer some textures and whispers that came to me when I read your poem ...(not formal critique as I am a middle aged eccentric gently-arty lady and I forgot whatever I was talking about years ago ...when it comes to formal knowledge ...

...or do you want to conceal the poem? .. I understand .. I really do ...

and lovely to meet you again LLWaz ...

back tomorow ... run out of time ....



H



please all to call me Helen <less confusing that all these cacti) ..

Thanks Helen. Feel free to come back and offer any criticism/thoughts. I feel a bit better knowing that some people liked what I wrote. I dunno if it's a 'poem' though, I didn't follow any formal rules or anything.

It strikes me as a very cryptic poem in the form of aphorisms.

It has an interesting feel to it - I like the space it makes in my head.

I like this and I think it qualifies as poetry.

I'm not sure what poetry is, despite writing the stuff, but, in its essence, it must involve distilling emotions or thoughts into effective words. I like this because of the repetition and the compression of thought-provoking ideas into a few words.

I'm not sure about 'change can preclude pain' though. Change can relieve pain, or avoid pain, but isn't there always a danger of pain in any change?

s'cuse me Kyra .. just tiptoeing into your thread again ... because I said I would ... and because I want to ...

...

I am so happy to see these people here who are commenting on your poem .. because I trust their knowledge and experience ... and I know that they can offer authentic and useful insights into an individual piece of writing ...and into the vast question of poetry ...

...and I can also learn from the way they comment on peoples' work ...



I wish I could express it like them ... ...but then I'm always dreaming like that ... .. someone says something and I often wish I had said it like they did ... ...

(just checking what means .. lovely word from the dmitri man .. ah yes .. how fascinating ... )

and what you said minorvogonpoet .. about you not being sure what poetry is .. even though you write it yourself (hah! .. may I read?) ... and that it might involve distilling emotions or thoughts into effective words ... distilling .. distillation .. essence ...

yes! ..

when I am asking questions about various aspects of life .. which I do .. always ... ... I sometimes go to this website called wisdomquotes (dotcom) .... and click on one of the categories .. to see who said what ..and did I wish I said that ... ... or can I relate to what they said ... ...

anyway ... I just clicked on the category .... first quote .. .from Adrienne Rich ....

Adrienne Rich

which is interesting ... considering that we are considering Change right now ...

.. and what are my thoughts on the nature of poetry? .. I'll go on about that some other time ... ... uh oh ... ...

what are my thoughts and feelings on your poem entitled Change? OK .. well .. blush blush .. I am going to allow myself to be totally flaky .. .. but it is sincere ... ... from my heart ... ..

well ... I love the dance of the lines ... and the energy of debate in the spaces between them ... the juxtapositions and questions and points of connection ..

did you feel different after you had written it? did writing it have an emotional effect on you? (you don't have to answer .. I am just so fascinated by peoples' approach and experiences with the writing process .. ...)



and finally .....

OK ... ... I said this could get flaky mad-artist.. .... but I will share with you ..



when I first saw the poem on the page ... then when I read it ... the image that came to me was of a rather mysterious beautiful Venetian blind .. you know those window blinds made from wooden slats .. that you can roll up and down .. or you can leave the blind rolled down but you can re-angle the slats to let in partial light ...as much or as little as needed ..



if ...say .. the lines of your poem are the slats .. ( in my vision they were made from some kind of mysterious beautiful silver material .. not wood ...) and these slats work together .. they are connected .. but they have interesting angles ..... and the light between the slats is the energy in between the lines ..

sort of thing .. like ... OK I am going away now because that's enough flaky images from me ...

and thankyou so much for sharing .. and inspiring me ..

and everything and onward! into poetry we all go! whatever that may be! wherever it might take us! ....yes!

see you all on the road ...

Helen