poets ~ not free-for-all

i tried to avoid blasting the book of poetry that won the john ciardi prize for 2006 (it was just released) but recent events have been a call to action. the book is unreadable, uninspired, and unaccomplished. and the judges and authors who endorsed it must have been blackmailed. if you do not believe me and want to read it for yourself, do not buy the book; get it from a library or borrow it from someone else unfortunate enough to already have it; not another tree should be sacrificed for that illiterature; toilet paper is a better use of wood.

i (briefly) belonged to an internet poetry forum. i had set up a username/profile but hadnt submitted a poem or commented on others poems. i really had no intention of submitting a poem, i do fine with myself and bob as readers, but i thought the exposure to current poetry might be a good thing, stimulating (i dont read poetry because i think it makes you write like what you have read... i was backsliding on my valuable philosophy when i signed up for the forum).

without any interaction in the forum, i began receiving hate mail. "leave now" and "your stuff is shit" is the basic gist of the messages. how could anyone know my stuff is shit? no-one reads it! and even if my work were less than the great people who write for the forum or win prizes, the concept of the forum is to improve your writing skills through interaction. was there an assignment to practice writing hate mail i didnt get?

i asked a moderator how it was i was receiving this mail, i wasnt even a presence in the forum... as a result, the moderator blocked me from entering/participating in the forum and my emails to the webmaster questioning this have gone answered.

and then the small dim bulb i call a brain fired: maybe someone from the john ciardi prize, one of the judges or endorsers, or even the poetess herself... WAS PART OF THE FORUM. maybe my presence was a spotlight on the inadequacy of the book. maybe my very talent, goodlooks, and inestimable charm were more than any of them could handle!!!

or maybe they just didnt like me. for some quirky internet reason.

but my poetry is still better. nah nah nah!

to see my books: http://royanthonyshabla.com