# Writing > Personal Poetry >  The LitNet Poetry Anthology  submit here

## DieterM

*Let's do it! Let's publish a "LitNet Poetry Anthology"!* 

This is an idea our fellow LitNetter desiresjab has recently come up with and has exposed in his thread in the "Poems, Poets, and Poetry"-section. He was so enthusiastic that he has even opened a submission thread in the same section. In order to comply with the rules of that section, I think it would be better if we opened the thread over here. I've taken the liberty of copy-pasting desiresjab's first two posts beneath.

Now let's start with some simple and clear *Guidelines*. These are neither exhaustive nor definitive nor binding. Merely my humble suggestions – if you have better ideas on how to run the project, how to improve the rules etc., please let us know!

*1. Submissions:*
*No limitation* as for the amount of poems you submit.You can submit *your own poetry* as well as *poems written by fellow LitNet members* (in this case make sure you include the poet’s LitNet Forum name).The submitted poems may be *original work* or *poems already posted* on this site.Submit *poems only* (no short stories, scenarios, etc.) and do not submit poetry from *writers outside the LitNet* – this should be *our* showcase, right?If you notice that one of your poems has been submitted but do not wish to participate or do not wish to be included in the book, please PM me, and I will withdraw it from the “selection pool”. Bear in mind that I might not be able to withdraw it from the thread, though.

*2. Feeback:*
This should be a *shared LitNet experience* so we absolutely need your feedback on submitted poems! Consider yourself co-editor of this project. In order to ensure that the submitted poems can be easily browsed and to keep this a “neutral” ground, however, I suggest we all *refrain from posting comments on submitted poems IN the thread* – please *send me a PM* instead. I will centralize your feedback, which will be taken into account when we get down to selecting the poems. If you PM me with a question, please don’t be cross if my answer takes more than some minutes; keep in mind that I have a daytime job and that we might live in different time zones.

*3. Deadline for submissions:*
Oct. 6th, 2016 (can be adjusted if necessary).

*4. Selection:*
With all your (hopefully plentiful) feedback, we will select *the very best world-class top-notch poems* and send out PMs to the selected poets asking them for their *consent* before publication. Please note that any poem for which we are unable to get the author’s consent (whatever the reason) will not be included in the book.

*5. Layout, publication:*
I’m a graphic designer and have already published several books (hard copy & ebook) for several writers on one of the biggest and best-known online bookstores via their POD- and ebook-platforms. Thus, re. layout, account-creation, file-upload etc., I offer my services for free.

*6. Promotion:*
Even if we’re not there yet, I’d like to stress a very important point: it’s a good thing to have a book available in one of the biggest online bookstores. Yet if no one knows about the book’s existence, no one will be tempted to buy it. Once again, *we will need your help*. I’m sure many of you have one or several *social media accounts* (Facebook, google+, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, whatever) and/or run a blog. It would be wonderful if we all could share news of the book once it’s being published and available online. *If (and only if) we all participate in the book promotion, we can really make this happen!*

7. As for the eventual proceeds of sales, I think they should be split amongst the authors in proportion to their place in the book (not on a page basis but on the basis of selected poems, I suggest). My intention is not to earn money on the back of fellow poets, I assure you (if that was the case, I wouldn’t “do” poetry). Any other ideas are welcome, of course.

I have contacted the admin and the senior mods by PM to briefly expose the project to them and to ask for their feedback. Until I hear from them, we do not know whether we'll be authorized to call our book "The LitNet Poetry Anthology" (and use the site logo) or not. But I think that shouldn't stop us. desiresjab has kicked off this project, so let's do it!

For questions, suggestions, ideas, you can PM me whenever you want. Or you can post them in the thread where desiresjab has brought forward the idea of a LitNet Poetry book being published – it's here. 

And now – we are impatient to read your submissions!

dieterm @ desiresjab


____________




> This is a second attempt to generate interest.
> 
> Some strong figures from the forum are already on board with the general idea of a Litnet poetry project. They may have better ideas for formatting the venture, but I am so eager to get started that I cannot resist.
> 
> Submit your best poetry here, folks. You can be part of it. Great poets give their lives for their body of work. They might have fifty or more poems that are great. Minor poets have fewer great poems, and unpublished poets are likely to have even fewer, maybe only a couple of pieces that might be called great, if any at all. We still give our lives, right? 
> 
> This is merely a place to submit. I will not be judging your poems in this thread, at least not alone. No one knows exactly how the process will work. I suppose many details might be hashed out right here. I believe all those on board so far would lend their critical expertise as well as their poetry to the project. Yes/No and Loki already stated they do not want to be editors. However, these boys are not staying out of a good poetry discussion or a good project. They both consent to submit poetry, and I think they will just naturally become more involved with the project as it proceeds.
> 
> Well, hopefully, we are off. But someone has to jump first.


_____________




> Koto
> by
> desiresjab
> 
> 
> 
> 
> A single note on koto
> Twists, and he admits
> ...

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## DieterM

Withdrawn at the author's request

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## DieterM

Find the post here

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## DieterM

Find the post here

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## DieterM

Find the post here

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## DieterM

Find the post here

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## Hawkman

Dieter, You have, indeed, taken something of a liberty by associating my work with this scheme, without even consulting me! I wanted nothing to do with the original poster or his arrogant and anonymous proposals. Who was this guy, to set himself up as selector and editor? To hell with him. 

I insist that you remove my poem from this thread.

H

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## DieterM

Sorry, H., my enthusiasm got the better of me. Post removed (more or less), and in the meantime I've replaced my other suggestions by links to the original posts.

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## YesNo

This poem is part of a set and can be seen here: http://www.online-literature.com/for...-Of-Humour-168

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## YesNo

Here is one by Lokasenna: http://www.online-literature.com/for...-Poetry-Thread

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## YesNo

Cacian's poem may be found here: http://www.online-literature.com/for...t=#post1314406

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## YesNo

Here is one that is untitled by PeterL: http://www.online-literature.com/for...t=#post1318485

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## YesNo

Sancho's limerick can be seen here: http://www.online-literature.com/for...t=#post1306453

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## Danik 2016

I´d like to include some of the poems I liked. My selection is as far incomplete as I am including only (with one exeption) authors which as yet aprove of the project and I am also leaving out poems already suggested:
Lokassena "Apple a day":
http://www.online-literature.com/for...-10-Here/page2
Michael Kajuan-A Moonlit Peek through Feathered Windows: Ballad #2 First Draft 5/24/12-6/2/12
http://www.online-literature.com/for...-10-Here/page7
DieterM-Of Cole Porter and unicorns
http://www.online-literature.com/for...r-and-unicorns
Sancho-What rymes with molasses
http://www.online-literature.com/for...ymerick/page27
Yes/No-Dance
http://www.online-literature.com/for...-10-Here/page7
Nord Star and Yes/No on Hollywood:
http://www.online-literature.com/for...Contest/page74

Litnet minimalist poetry contest:
http://www.online-literature.com/for...Contest/page76
"Bond" by North Star:
http://www.online-literature.com/for...=1#post1319308
"Our Minimalist Love Story", by Taylor Stately:
http://www.online-literature.com/for...=1#post1319316
"Love Story" by Yes/No
http://www.online-literature.com/for...=1#post1319368
A dialogue between two poems:
http://www.online-literature.com/for...70#post1323470
 :Hurray:  Learned how to copy the individual links!









This one is from a member before my time posted by Taylor Stately:

by IceM (in this case the author´s consent wasn´t asked as yet):

Out in the San Joaquin

From the hilltops, those swaths of yellow and green--
the fields of dry grass where the rabbits scurry,
the squares of vines and the pistachio groves where children
in the stillness of the night will steal the season’s first fruit--
stir in the wind, undulating to and fro in the midday sun.
There too rest the beds of those once-proud streams--
that network of veins winding across the brown chest of the earth--
that now are vestiges of ancient waters
whose currents have long been still.

Here, Thoreau would thrive.
On his morning afternoon late evening walks
among the vineyards the hills the barren plots of dust
where orange trees once stood
(they laid like the wreckage of ships found in shallow seas
when the farmers uprooted them),
he too would see hear feel Nature in its full splendor:
see the crawfish emerge from the reservoir
(a single ripple is left in its wake).
and sun itself on the banks;
see the hawk plunge between the vines
(something nervously scurries amid the weeds)
and emerge with nothing;
see in the farthest reaches of the hills
a wildflower blooming in the stillness.
http://www.online-literature.com/for...favorite+poems

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## YesNo

This is a recent post by angliholic: http://www.online-literature.com/for...43#post1319443 Probably just about anything from his/her thread would be worth considering.

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## DieterM

Thanks for participating, YesNo and Danik  I'm glad I'm not the only one to consider this a worthy project!

Bae, some things have perhaps not been explained clearly enough. Therefore I'd like to stress two important points for our fellow LitNetters:

If your poems appear in this thread, that does not mean someone has single-handedly decided to include them in the book. It just means someone thinks those poems *deserve* to be in the book. *If you don't want to participate in this project*, either because you disapprove of it or because you have other plans with your poems or because you don't hold their copyrights any longer  *whatever the reason, just let us know*, and we will make sure the concerned poems don't appear in the book.If one or more of your poems appear in this thread, that does not mean we want to "grab it and run". We're still just gathering poems we like. No copyright issue is involved; not now, and it shall not be in the future. As far as I'm concerned, anyway, you'll only be asked at one moment to permit us to publish your poems in the book. But I don't think we're looking to deprive you of your rights or to sweet-talk you into handing them over to us. *You shall remain the only copyright holder of your poems throughout the whole process*.

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## YesNo

Here are some nominations with more to follow in the days ahead.

tailor_STATELY: "Risk" http://www.online-literature.com/for...t=#post1317934

Pendragon: "Drop Me a Feather": http://www.online-literature.com/for...t=#post1314575

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## DieterM

I add four of my own poems (text & links). I can' say whether they deserve to be part of the project or not, but I thought I should show some personal involvement :-)

*"Rooftop" by dieterm*

Zinc and slate against my thighs,
a metal sky above me, low,
forbidden, lurking,
if I stretch my ungloved hands,
I reckon I could harvest
all the citrine gems, the golden beryls,
fire opals, amber stones 
concealed behind these autumn clouds

The red brick chimney in my back
discharges central heating fumes,
and it feels almost friendly, 
like a lukewarm handshake 
from a perfect stranger

While I close my eyes, the world
keeps spinning round and round,
vague smells of car exhaust,
domestic fuel, spicy dishes drift up
from the busy avenue nearby
where cars are honking, children lauging,
stories lived

The mizzle wafting in the air
feels like so many tiny tears
but its just water falling down

Perhaps, when I get back to life,
today, tomorrow, sometime soon,
there will be snow, a blanket, white
and spotless, cloaking all the dreary details
of the city

But right now, I do not move,
a static gable rider high above
the vales of Paris, quite content
that all I have is bricks,
and zinc, and slate, and murky skies

http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?83336-Rooftop


______________

*"Whistle" by dieterm*

jumping through the breezy spring day
she was
almost levitating
lifting her ample amaranth dress
high and higher
white polka dots gleaming like aftersmiles
shaking her auburn hair
she was
and whistling 
itsy bitsy spider

http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?50408-Minimalist-Poetry-Contest&p=1288334&viewfull=1#post1288334


______________

*"The unbearable daftness of" by dieterm*

feeling stupid with 
my hard-on I lean 
against the lemon 
chiffon tiles of a 
shabby neon-lit 
subway station corridor
while around me balding 
Bostonians improvise 
a flash mob with their 
lawfully dreaded wives
to the rancid sound 
of a crappy Britpop 
song then an old 
classmate I never 
really liked chats 
me up blabbering 
about Ingmar Bergman
advanced theoretical 
physics Derridas 
iterability and my 
only hope is that 
my alarm-clock rings 
soon for even in my 
dreams I do not go 
for Britpop

http://www.online-literature.com/for...daftness-of%85

_______________

*"Matters" by dieterm*

doesnt matter that
our snobish suburb has become
the loneliest, emptiest place
while the big city still
palpitates in the distance 
like a gushing fatal wound

doesnt matter that
even the birds have
deserted this forsaken spot
and that the autumn wind,
tousling the dark pines,
blows harder in order to
leave as fast as possible

doesnt matter that
I feel hungover like
on Sunday mornings back
when I was twenty and
had danced all night,
only this time I haven't,
and, sadly, I ain't

doesnt matter because
when everything seems 
too heavy and hollow for
my shoulders, suddenly
a newborn morning
lashes out and crowns
you with melted gold

http://www.online-literature.com/for...t=#post1271326

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## desiresjab

Here is another one from myself. A little long at 100 lines but readable, I hope.



You Kind Old Man
by desiresjab



He keeps that sparkle in his orbs;
Only gives and never robs.
When snow conceals the frozen clods
And people sneeze from colds,

He tackles up his best of teams
In stamp and stable steam. 
'Round earth his windy route will wreathe—
All extremes of weather—

Crossing seas and starry deserts
While children eat dessert.
Elves are stuffing handmade presents—
Tanks and dolls and serpents—

Into Santa's sack without end,
Carved in their workshop den;
Reindeer, tinkle in the halter,
Beasts that do not lather.

“Now, don't worry, dear old Dasher,
We'll get these presents shared.”
Old St. Nick slows and pats
The beast and slides on past.

Mrs. Claus is in the stable
With snacks from her tables
For all. In that ultimate burg
They never want for grub.

She grooms at him and exchanges pecks, 
As she removes a speck.
“Be careful in the war zones, dear.”

“At me? They wouldn't dare,

Mrs. Claus,” he chuckles and nods,
As he climbs up and dons
His cap, adjusting bulk and bulge.
A heraldric bugle

Blast sends them charging through barn doors
Beneath the golden roods,
As out upon the snow they speed
And lift toward the deeps.

The elves are joyous and smitten 
And waving their mittens,
The missus throws kisses aloft;
For elves the suds will float.

* * * * *

Now elves are former vampires—made 
Right by Claus's blood mead—
Who tried to feed on Claus, but fade
To elves once they bite, deaf

To evil 'til the end of times;
And not a one emits
A hiss that longs for old diets,
Cleaned by memory's tides,

And none recalls his vulgar past
Or canine fang that taps,
But willingly through snow traipses
For his grog and pastries.

Santa's next stop, seen through antlers—
Miles of rundown rentals
Where ramshackle roofs are too weak
For hooves, and folks might wake.

The deer, by Rudolph united,
Are safe to leave untied,
As he sets out on foot past manger
Scenes defaced in German.

A vampire with a cry of doom
Profanes the Christmas mood,
And alights with pointed fangs bared,
Thinking of Claus as bread.

Kind Claus sweeps aside his long beard,
Plump neck willingly bared.
The vampire takes his red repast,
But then jumps back and prates

In elvish tongue as old Santa
Stuffs the minion of Satan
Into his spare sack and moves on.
He never tells a vampire no.

Nigh a dozen vampires later,
He heads for home, alert,
With all his toy sacks deflated
And each new elf dated.

High above earth, from the north pole's 
Tie-dyed airy slope,
Comes a last cheery call to gladden
All hearts that feel dangled

In the cold nothingness of space: 
“Merry Christmas to all!”
May dozens of forsaken capes
A sweeter sleep allot

To those harassed by fear or dearth,
Whose hope hangs by a thread.
Reindeer spiral down to the pole
And, landing at a lope,

Pull to the barn on a slow turn,
Where Santa unloads runt
After runt from his sack to pealing
Of elves in drunken leaping.

New elves soon sniff out the ale vats
Though the barracks are vast,
And with their new mates disappear.
The Yule's success appraised,

The House of Claus falls silent,
Gay with Christmas tinsel.
Warmed, in good cheer, all are asleep 
Ere arctic night can elapse.

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## YesNo

More nominations:

Jerrybaldy: "Dance" http://www.online-literature.com/for...hp?85027-Dance

Pompey Bum: untitled http://www.online-literature.com/for...t=#post1300990

desiresjab: "You Kind Old Man" post #19 in this thread

DieterM: "Matters" in post #18 in this thread

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## YesNo

More nominations:

Hawkman: "Dawn Talkin' Blues" http://www.online-literature.com/for...t=#post1272853

AuntShecky: "I Dreamed of Harvey Weinstein" http://www.online-literature.com/for...t=#post1268678

ampoule: "Dawn" http://www.online-literature.com/for...t=#post1272832

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## desiresjab

_Of Dream_ by Fahmida, post #1111 page 75

_Nfinite_ by Cacian, post #1063 page 71

_The Vicar's Pint_ by Pompey Bum, post #946

_The Last Goodbye_ by Dark Muse Post#888 page 60

_What's Weird About My Vacation_ by Yes/No, post#894 page 60

_Happiness Is_..by Prendrelemic, post#865 page 58

_The Window_ by Pendragon, post#828 page 56

_Echos Through The Empty Heart_ by Yes/No post#810 page 54

_The Spring Danc_e by Cacian post#715 page 48

_Before The Autumn Storm_ by Taylor Stately, post#678 page 46

_Autumn In Yorkshire_ by Prendrelemic, post#679 page 46

_Solar System Conversation_ by jajude, post#615 page 41

These are from about half the thread in poetry contests by subject, starting from the back. Other poems could have been recommended too, and more will be. The best of quite a few people is good enough, I believe. I always believed this.

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## Danik 2016

Please, how can one find these last poems without the corresponding links?

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## YesNo

I found the links by right-clicking on the post number in the "Subject Poetry Contest" thread to display the post in another tab. I copied the URL in the tab and pasted it here.




> _Of Dream_ by Fahmida, post #1111 page 75


http://www.online-literature.com/for...=1#post1308903




> _Nfinite_ by Cacian, post #1063 page 71


http://www.online-literature.com/for...=1#post1303780




> _The Vicar's Pint_ by Pompey Bum, post #946


http://www.online-literature.com/for...=1#post1286781




> _The Last Goodbye_ by Dark Muse Post#888 page 60


http://www.online-literature.com/for...=1#post1262417




> _What's Weird About My Vacation_ by Yes/No, post#894 page 60


http://www.online-literature.com/for...=1#post1264866




> _Happiness Is_..by Prendrelemic, post#865 page 58


http://www.online-literature.com/for...=1#post1255698




> _The Window_ by Pendragon, post#828 page 56


http://www.online-literature.com/for...=1#post1243999




> _Echos Through The Empty Heart_ by Yes/No post#810 page 54


http://www.online-literature.com/for...=1#post1239281




> _The Spring Danc_e by Cacian post#715 page 48


http://www.online-literature.com/for...=1#post1211149




> _Before The Autumn Storm_ by Taylor Stately, post#678 page 46


http://www.online-literature.com/for...=1#post1192239




> _Autumn In Yorkshire_ by Prendrelemic, post#679 page 46


http://www.online-literature.com/for...=1#post1192563




> _Solar System Conversation_ by jajude, post#615 page 41


http://www.online-literature.com/for...=1#post1139825




> These are from about half the thread in poetry contests by subject, starting from the back. Other poems could have been recommended too, and more will be. The best of quite a few people is good enough, I believe. I always believed this.

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## desiresjab

I didn't know how to do that myself, Yes/No. Pretty clever.

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## Danik 2016

Many thanks, Yes/No for taking the trouble!

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## YesNo

More nominations:

North Star: "Bond" http://www.online-literature.com/for...=1#post1319308

Mohammad Ahmad: "Take me there" http://www.online-literature.com/for...-Take-me-there

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## desiresjab

Authors could support the project by themselves submitting poems. This helps gaurantee that the author believes in the poem, and we are getting his or her best effort. I like to think many of the poets have held their best in reserve. If this is not the case, the project could founder. Admittedly, I have only read the "subject contests" thread, and a few scattered poems elsewhere.

What Dieter will probably agree with, when he returns from Paris, Texas, by the way, is that we now need a deep pockets approach from poets submitting their own work, if the project is actually to have any hope of attaining the standard of quality that could distinguish it and make it worthy, first of all, for consideration as a project, and secondly, of critical appraisal by excellent critics. A volume of the quality envisioned would simply not be ignorable. But perhaps there is no such thing, it is only an ideal.

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## desiresjab

> Authors could support the project by themselves submitting poems. This helps gaurantee that the author believes in the poem, and we are getting his or her best effort. I like to think many of the poets have held their best in reserve. If this is not the case, the project could founder. Admittedly, I have only read the "subject contests" thread, and a few scattered poems elsewhere.
> 
> What Dieter will probably agree with, when he returns from Paris, Texas, by the way, is that we now need a deep pockets approach from poets submitting their own work, if the project is actually to have any hope of attaining the standard of quality that could distinguish it and make it worthy, first of all, for consideration as a project, and secondly, of critical appraisal by excellent critics. A volume of the quality envisioned would simply not be ignorable. But perhaps there is no such thing, it is only an ideal.


For poets to take a deep pockets approach to submitting, the fear of poisoning their own pieces for later "legitmate" publication must be overcome. They must come to know that this project does itself represent legitimate publication, so they need not fear poisoning their pieces for editors who do not want them anyway. The project, the new platform, is a rebellion against the system of publication one fears alienating.

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## DieterM

Lo and behold, I'm back… not from Paris, Texas (what on earth would I do in Paris, Texas? I'm already living in the most "Paris-ish" town imaginable, i.e. Paris, France) but from holidays in my home-country Austria (not the one with the kangaroos, mind you – no, the one with short-haired girls in dirndls dancing/running down grassy slopes while singing "The Hills are Alive…" LOL). Currently browsing one of my best LitNet friends' poetry thread before submitting some of her finest poems (with her approval). I'm glad to see this thread is still alive. And I'm still very optimistic as far as this project is concerned, and I'm certain I'm not the only one who's eager to read your submissions, whether they are old or brand-new. We'll do it!

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## desiresjab

> Lo and behold, I'm back… not from Paris, Texas (what on earth would I do in Paris, Texas? I'm already living in the most "Paris-ish" town imaginable, i.e. Paris, France) but from holidays in my home-country Austria (not the one with the kangaroos, mind you – no, the one with short-haired girls in dirndls dancing/running down grassy slopes while singing "The Hills are Alive…" LOL). Currently browsing one of my best LitNet friends' poetry thread before submitting some of her finest poems (with her approval). I'm glad to see this thread is still alive. And I'm still very optimistic as far as this project is concerned, and I'm certain I'm not the only one who's eager to read your submissions, whether they are old or brand-new. We'll do it!


Welcome back, dear boy.

Another thought occurred to me. What if LitNet could already do as they pleased with any material already published on their site (excluding short story contests where your exclusive rights were previously guaranteed) and furthermore has had plans for some while to eventually do on its own what we have proposed? In that case our proposal might come to nothing.

I came across a world class poem from either five or ten years back. The thread and poem was _Say There Are Ten Million Souls In This City_. The person who posted it did not name the author, so I have not submitted it. Its quality and lack of an author strongly suggested it would already have been published elsewhere.

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## Danik 2016

Here you are(unless someone used Auden´s first verse on another poem):
http://www.ppu.org.uk/learn/poetry/poetry_against1.html

I think the silence of LitNet has to do with not having the money for the project.

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## DieterM

@desiresjab I'm not overtly worried about LitNet using our material (can't remember the exact phrasing in the Network Rules, but my memory suggests they do mention that any writer submitting material on here remains owner of his work). Anyway, ever the optimist, I shall go on with this project until someone tells me to stop :-)
@Danik I don't think it's a question of money but rather a question of "why on earth should we take on such a potentially troublesome project"? I guess they think it's not their role to publish books; they provide a place where people can exchange about literature, that's all (and that's already a very good thing, in my eyes).
I'm more worried about the relative non-interest my fellow LitNetters show for this project. Oh well, we shall see what comes out of it…

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## Danik 2016

Welcome back from the sunny Alps, Dieter. You may be right about the site, Dieter, but people in general are sceptical about publishing a material that doesn´t promiss an immediate financial return, I guess.

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## DieterM

Well, sunny, sunny although we're meant to be in summer, I didn't see much sun (last time I saw the sun was a few thousand rains ago), but it was fun.

To keep this project going, here a few more suggestions (with the author's consent). Selecting but these few poems was hard for me because I have outed myself some years ago as an unconditional haunted-fan. So here we go:

"a beach in Maui" by haunted

http://www.online-literature.com/for...=1#post1311145
________

"high rise" by haunted

http://www.online-literature.com/for...=1#post1276454
________

"contract negotiations" by haunted

http://www.online-literature.com/for...=1#post1260027
________

"need professional help" by haunted

http://www.online-literature.com/for...=1#post1126438
________

"listener" by haunted

http://www.online-literature.com/for...=1#post1105222
________

"0" by haunted

http://www.online-literature.com/for...=1#post1001058

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## Danik 2016

Interesting poems, Dieter."Haunted" explores well the multiplicity of meanings in her poems, something I consider very difficult, And her poetry is indeed "haunted".

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## desiresjab

> Here you are(unless someone used Auden´s first verse on another poem):
> http://www.ppu.org.uk/learn/poetry/poetry_against1.html
> 
> I think the silence of LitNet has to do with not having the money for the project.


Thanks, Danik. I showed my ignorance on that one. Had never seen that Auden poem before. Oh well, at least I knew it was world class. Sort of like hearing Joe Pass play guitar and declaring the guy is great. A dog on the street could do it.

----------


## desiresjab

> @desiresjab I'm not overtly worried about LitNet using our material (can't remember the exact phrasing in the Network Rules, but my memory suggests they do mention that any writer submitting material on here remains owner of his work). Anyway, ever the optimist, I shall go on with this project until someone tells me to stop :-)
> @Danik I don't think it's a question of money but rather a question of "why on earth should we take on such a potentially troublesome project"? I guess they think it's not their role to publish books; they provide a place where people can exchange about literature, that's all (and that's already a very good thing, in my eyes).
> I'm more worried about the relative non-interest my fellow LitNetters show for this project. Oh well, we shall see what comes out of it…


It is not the admin's using of our poems, but their project making our own superfluous, that was a momentary minor concern I had. Like you, the apathy (and here and there antipathy) of fellow LitNet poets have temporarily sidetracked me. Few are willing to submit poems of their own. Few are willing to take a deep pockets approach and show their best, for fear of harming later publishing chances, in some cases.

I believe the latter is a major concern to member poets. But as Yes/No has said elsewhere, the poem is only damaged goods to journals and magazines, not later anthologies or a later collection of individual work. I do not consider literary journals and magazines the last word in poetry. Our book would itself be a publishing credential one could list when asked for publishing history.

Whoever has a stash of top pieces should bring some of their self-appraised gems out now. Writers have a decent sense of what is their own best work, meaning they consider a piece among their top group of poems, and would usually find this in accord with the consensus. This is a hunch not a statistic.

Of course, this poem which you (the poet) consider among your best must have been published nowhere else, or I believe we cannot use it in our proposed volume.

An outsider, a stranger, cannot take a deep pockets approach to submitting your poetry here, only you can, only you know your work that well and its full extent. That is why I value a submission from the author himself over submissions of authors' poems from others, though I value both. Like any publisher, we do not want to see what you are working on but what you have perfected.

It makes a poet vulnerable to admit simply by the act of submitting here that they believe a poem is among their most select group. That is what submitting here implies, and what submitting anywhere always implies anyway, but usually it is not a public spectacle. That makes it harder.

People are going to believe you are showing some of your best pieces here, if you submit. Public, though, we must stay, I suppose, or I cannot see the project keeping a head of steam.

Am I trying to intimidate you? Nah. Send your best. It is what you would do anyway. Here, people know what you think, that is all. Gulp!

This is not a comment thread for poems submitted, unless Dieter thinks it should become one. I think the opinons will be given behind closed doors by some group of editors from among ourselves, or so I suppose. I don't know. Though poems are submitted publicly, I still think the idea of forum-wide voting is a bad idea. The selection process should be narrower, to keep the quality high.

No one knows how it will work, precisely. All ideas and any participation are met with a warm glow from myself and all the other lads and lasses on board. Our engineer Dieter has professional inside experience with publishing, so get your tickets, please! This is not a half-scale train ride. Me, I am the barker, self-declared, nothing more. I'll even shut up if it helps.

----------


## desiresjab

To An Old Poem
by desiresjab




Magic from the roots of incantation
You must have drunk, a seer's ancient soak
That stirs up charms in ordinary words,
Releasing dopamine for centuries.




copyright 2016 by desiresjab lab

----------


## Jerrybaldy

family tree by Jerrybaldy

I am this person , this is me,
I hang from this branch of the family tree.
I am not so good, it goes unsaid,
I sense this in the dark, awake in bed.
When somebody loves me I don’t understand
how I mustered this magic, sleight of hand.
I am this person, this is me,
I hang from this branch of the family tree.
All that I learn, will die in my bed,
this storage forsaken, in my bald head.
These words are no good, for they could be better,
If my woman quits loving , then f ucking let her.
I am this person, this is me,
I hang from this branch of the family tree.
In my grandchild’s hand, in a dusty attic
I will be captured in distant static.
I am the man that linked this chain,
for you to do it again, then again.
I am this person this is me,
I swang as a child on the family tree.
The blink of an eye, was faster than I
I barely have time to say goodbye.
These lines are yours and yours are mine
all such words will be lost in time.
I was this person, this was me
Who ever you are, then you should be. 
I would love to tell you otherwise,
but meanings aren't meant, its all just lies.

----------


## Jerrybaldy

Blood in the snow by Jerrybaldy 

There’s blood in the snow, 
in the yard
by the sink hole,
where I should never go.
By the sink hole 
where, in summer, 
the golden fruit would grow.

There is blood upon her stockings 
where it wrinkles by her knees,
she prays to her god in a blizzard 
to help her this time please. 

There’s blood in the snow
in the yard
by the sink hole,
where I should never go.
By the sink hole
she lost the harvest,
he decided not to grow.

----------


## Jerrybaldy

Cafe scene , sometime. By Jerrybaldy 

An android in the rain with cloudy eyes
serves me olives.
I read of recent deaths
on the table top display.

Spots burn holes in my jacket.
Neon lights wash back and forth
puddled by your feet. 
You hold my flaccid hand
like a child with a fever,
blowing smoke straight through
a Chinese scented steam.

We could catch the spacetrain out of here.
Or watch the A67 spacejunk eclispe the moon. 
I feed you noodles like electric veins. 
I think I see mummy in the crowd
being frogmarched by.
It's a facsimilie.
Like this evening's sponsored rainbow
in our senseless spinning sky.

----------


## Jerrybaldy

On my Knees by Jerrybaldy 

I Part my lips,
tongue stretched.
I taste you on its tip.
Is it you I worship here?
Pictured between breaths
and miniature deaths,
your musk still lingers
on dry stained fingers.
A congregated lady coughs loudly,
a stillborn baby cries from the vault.
My tongue seeks rice paper
and clotted wine,
the sun finds my moles,
through blood stained glass.
'Body of Christ', says the man.
I offer a tortured
'Amen'.

----------


## Jerrybaldy

the end of the world as we know it but the dog is fine. By Jerrybaldy

To brush my teeth,
1 minute thirty seconds,
half way through at the 45 second mark
I remember todays meeting 
and the quilt is calling me,
singing ‘Jerry, Jerry’.
A singing quilt is no place to rest
so I go to the garden
where the sun with its tail
races through the sky.
I lay my cheek on the dew soaked grass.
Last Wednesday I did this for 2 minutes 27.
Today an ant crawls on my chin,
I estimate his walking speed 
at 0.3 miles per hour.
I return to the house for toast
it pops out of the toaster
before I have placed it in. 
The sun races ever faster
streaking through the sky,
a day becomes 11.5 seconds,
day, night, day, night.
Birds no longer fly,
the sun is an orange streak in the sky.
A month has passed since the butter melted on my toast.
I walk out to the car,
past birds with useless wings,
flapping as they walk in circles.
I turn the key four times,
the average is 3.16.
Two days pass in four turns of the key
earth revolves madly
the blue, black skies are smeared with lights
the seas are on fast spin
and heading this way.
My dog is smoking a pipe 
four legs tiptoeing through breakdancing birds.
He jumps in the car beside me,
sets the satnav for the moon. 
My pocketwatch says some time soon.

----------


## Jerrybaldy

The dog, the egg and the everlasting lolly. By Jerrybaldy

The dog was drowning in the dock yard,
I watched him from the cafe window,
as I toyed with egg and chips.
Like the dog, the crane behind would soon be gone
like the crane, my egg and chips 
would not be there for long.
I poked the dog in the morning
when he washed up on the jetty,
mottled hair and cloudy eyes.
Maybe I could have saved him
and sacrificed my egg;
I scratched my chin and finished
my everlasting lolly.
I decided as I threw him back,
he never wanted saving.

----------


## Jerrybaldy

Ah, it's an impossible job!

----------


## desiresjab

> Ah, it's an impossible job!


Ya. Wait, was that a submission? I knew they'd start to come in. I just knew it!

----------


## Jerrybaldy

Hey Desirejab. I just posted 6 on the previous page  :Smile:

----------


## desiresjab

> Hey Desirejab. I just posted 6 on the previous page


Thanks, Jerry. I don't even know how I missed those. I guess it was the page turning over. Not supposed to comment. Read the last one three or four times. Immaculate.

----------


## desiresjab

Dieter, lad, have not heard anything from you recently. What are your thoughts on the project? We are slowly getting submissions, as you can see.

I glanced by another part of the forum and saw that you are already a poet with published books. I mean to get back over there soon and read. I did not realize that. I know almost nothing about everyone here.

How voluminous do you think our tome might be? Small? Medium sized? Large? I envision a large vloume, but submissions have been scant. I am currently limiting my reading of poetry on the site to this submission thread, with spontaneous exceptions. There are too many thousands of poems on the site to plow through.

* * * * *

Funnel your best right here, folks. This project can get done. There are more competent people than myself behind the scenes. As long as they are with you, you cannot fail. I am your faithful cheerleader.

----------


## desiresjab

I will keep submitting as long as others do.




What's In A Word
by desiresjab




What did God do in order to create?
He spoke. He did not stir a worm bucket,
He spoke everything into existence;
There was no waving of a magic wand
Or the huffing of air into his mankind:
This one you claim to adore only spoke
And being fairly wise knew what would work.

If God exists, who says it's not benign?
It threw our lips languages to begin
The long road learning to make _things_ of words.
The poet in a purple puff of fume
Is hard at labor on another charm.
Who would spank the child for such a deed,
For emulating his heavenly dad?

Do not ask why the bard chants poetry.
If God does not exist then our wordplay
Must coax the geometries of heaven.
Not the dead heaven as Stevens saw it,
Where all that a man was dies like a fruit,
But the best of visions we can conjure,
For man really has only one prayer.

A human crawls then craves immortal life,
And seeks the godly if and only if
A church, mosque or temple promises more.
No god is worth a hoot to us unless
Some atom-less _thing_ retains consciousness.
Mortal life deserves a casual thanks
From _some_, if this is our exclusive glimpse.

God or no God, the universe is weird,
And man a cloud of atoms hardwired
To speak, be curious and use symbols.
The mind feels finer than the body's mist
Yet knows by symbols that it must exist,
And strives to know if it configures them,
The forces binding its continuum.

Electron microscopes see no spirits.
Resurrect the antique charms of poets!
Human voice is called to make paradise,
Or unveil the one already so near.
The content of our words will ring elsewhere,
Holding in existence we know not what,
Monsters, gods, or the only thing we want.




Copyright 2014 by Jesse Baird

----------


## Sam Smith

Hi, guys. I'm not really sure I understand what the plan is for this project... who chooses the poems to go in the final piece? Is there a limit to an authors content in the final piece? (not a criticism but it would appear to be an anthology consisting of two or three main people who submitted a lot) of course if there isn't enough entries then it wouldn't work; I understand this. I like the premiss, though, it seems like a cool idea. What is the future plan is what I'm asking too. Cheers.

----------


## Pompey Bum

These are but a few of the mysteries of the Bible.

----------


## DieterM

@Jerrybaldy – happy to see you here and happy to see you participate!

@desiresjab: still here, man, but extremely busy at the mo. And I don't want this project to look as if it were mine so I try to lean back and see what my fellow LitNetters "do" with this thread.

----------


## DieterM

> Hi, guys. I'm not really sure I understand what the plan is for this project... who chooses the poems to go in the final piece? Is there a limit to an authors content in the final piece? (not a criticism but it would appear to be an anthology consisting of two or three main people who submitted a lot) of course if there isn't enough entries then it wouldn't work; I understand this. I like the premiss, though, it seems like a cool idea. What is the future plan is what I'm asking too. Cheers.


Hi Sam – the questions you ask are excellent. And I still haven't got the answers although I am amongst those who kicked off this project. If you have any suggestions, please please pretty please: participate! I agree with you that without more input and without more participation the project has no sense whatsoever. 

You see, I've sketched a few rules for the project (cf. the first post of this thread) but merely to kick it off; they're surely not "canonical". I thought they'd be amended, discussed, improved etc. by fellow LitNetters and by their input. Well, there hasn't been much for the moment. That's why the whole thing looks as if four or five guys decided to do this on their own, but that was not and still is not the goal, at least not in my eyes. I try to keep it going, and so do the others who already have posted some submissions. To be frank, and I'm glad you seem to agree with me on that, I still think that to put together a LitNet Poetry anthology is an excellent idea, not so much because the Forum needs publicity but because I've read a whole lot of extremely good poems in this section ever since I joined LitNet. 

The future plan? If you have the means and the power, persuade other LitNetters to participate. Let's improve the project. Let's come up with an idea of how to select the poems to be included "in the final piece" as you say. Let's enhance, improve, amend the whole thing. And if you write poetry, submit. If there's any poem a fellow LitNetter has published on here and that you simply love, submit. 

I still believe in this. But frankly, if there's not more interest, more input, more enthusiasm, well, then I guess there'll never be a published anthology at all.

----------


## DieterM

> These are but a few of the mysteries of the Bible.



LOL. Good to see you here, Pompey Bum. Wanna participate?

----------


## heartwing

What if you just want a place to submit your "what's its." I'm not even sure if it's poetry. It's pretty prosy, but I wanna place to be bad.

----------


## Sam Smith

> Hi Sam – the questions you ask are excellent. And I still haven't got the answers although I am amongst those who kicked off this project. If you have any suggestions, please please pretty please: participate! I agree with you that without more input and without more participation the project has no sense whatsoever. 
> 
> You see, I've sketched a few rules for the project (cf. the first post of this thread) but merely to kick it off; they're surely not "canonical". I thought they'd be amended, discussed, improved etc. by fellow LitNetters and by their input. Well, there hasn't been much for the moment. That's why the whole thing looks as if four or five guys decided to do this on their own, but that was not and still is not the goal, at least not in my eyes. I try to keep it going, and so do the others who already have posted some submissions. To be frank, and I'm glad you seem to agree with me on that, I still think that to put together a LitNet Poetry anthology is an excellent idea, not so much because the Forum needs publicity but because I've read a whole lot of extremely good poems in this section ever since I joined LitNet. 
> 
> The future plan? If you have the means and the power, persuade other LitNetters to participate. Let's improve the project. Let's come up with an idea of how to select the poems to be included "in the final piece" as you say. Let's enhance, improve, amend the whole thing. And if you write poetry, submit. If there's any poem a fellow LitNetter has published on here and that you simply love, submit. 
> 
> I still believe in this. But frankly, if there's not more interest, more input, more enthusiasm, well, then I guess there'll never be a published anthology at all.





> Hi Sam – the questions you ask are excellent. And I still haven't got the answers although I am amongst those who kicked off this project. If you have any suggestions, please please pretty please: participate! I agree with you that without more input and without more participation the project has no sense whatsoever. 
> 
> You see, I've sketched a few rules for the project (cf. the first post of this thread) but merely to kick it off; they're surely not "canonical". I thought they'd be amended, discussed, improved etc. by fellow LitNetters and by their input. Well, there hasn't been much for the moment. That's why the whole thing looks as if four or five guys decided to do this on their own, but that was not and still is not the goal, at least not in my eyes. I try to keep it going, and so do the others who already have posted some submissions. To be frank, and I'm glad you seem to agree with me on that, I still think that to put together a LitNet Poetry anthology is an excellent idea, not so much because the Forum needs publicity but because I've read a whole lot of extremely good poems in this section ever since I joined LitNet. 
> 
> The future plan? If you have the means and the power, persuade other LitNetters to participate. Let's improve the project. Let's come up with an idea of how to select the poems to be included "in the final piece" as you say. Let's enhance, improve, amend the whole thing. And if you write poetry, submit. If there's any poem a fellow LitNetter has published on here and that you simply love, submit. 
> 
> I still believe in this. But frankly, if there's not more interest, more input, more enthusiasm, well, then I guess there'll never be a published anthology at all.


Hey, DieterM thanks for replying. Of course I am more than happy to participate. If this project does come to fruition as I hope it does, I would be miffed that I might have one poem in the anthology whereas some others have far more. If that was the case then I would rather let them have their anthology - can you understand where I'm coming from? 

Sadly I'm very new here so wouldn't have much influence at all over much. With regards to my own poems I am more of a prose writer but I enjoy poetry too. I'll post one and it'd be nice to hear your thoughts on it if you'd care to read it?

As for discussing and amending poems, might it be worth choosing the best and then reposting them for open discussion? This seems sensible to me but it might be rather laborious and ultimately impractical. What do you think?

----------


## Sam Smith

Poem removed

----------


## Pompey Bum

*POEM REMOVED BY AUTHOR*

See below.

----------


## heartwing

.....

----------


## desiresjab

Whether we should search the archives for poets no longer here, is another question. Chasing down people for permission is no job I would want.

I am not in charge of anything. I have ideas and inspiration, is all, and poems to submit myself. Not a soul could name one poem that has already made it into the LitNet poetry book. Poets, including myself and Dieter, are merely submitting to prime the pump. Yes/No has said he is on board, but has personally submitted nothing yet. The same with a few others.

The volume would not be very representative of LitNet if it only contained a handful of authors. In fact, such a volume would not become reality. Only a volume which contains at the minumum scores of LitNet poets will become reality. It is impossible for me to say if everyone will be published, because I do not make any rules. It is impossible for me to say if every poet will be represented by the same number of poems, pages, lines, et al. It is impossible for anyone to say. No one knows a thing, is the truth. We are sitting, hoping, waiting for submissions.

I would not sub divide the volume into years, as some kind of history of LitNet poetry, but that's just me.

The first step is not forming a board. The first step is to see if enough poets are interested enough to submit their own work and make suggestions concerning the project. That is where we are.


Thanks to all who have participated, and especially who have submitted.

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

Vanity forces me to keep peddling this, it remains the greatest poetic achievement south of the Red River...

A round up of four badly written installments previously submitted sporadically in the Write a really bad poem thread.
Please set aside some time, grab a bottle of Drambuie, relax and enjoy.
I appreciate your patience and understanding, it is important that I do this.


*First Movement; Allegro Moderato*

Please listen as you read:
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=KHzfD6XLK7Q
(Yo Yo Ma Bach cello suites)

Yo...yo, ma!
Yes dear, more milk
and habanero's?
No...no ma,
look, the cello player
across the street.
He... he begs
for sump'n sweet.
I'll take him to Brahms, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Braum's
weel be right Bach.
Aye...aye, then ul be pass'n
by the market I suppose.
Here...here's my Liszt 
an weel be need'n some
beets for dinner.
But...but what about 
my wood Chopin?
Don't...don't be fret'n oer that,
weel burn peat tonight.
Oh...oh, an stop by Wagner's
an pick up one of those
new fangled Beetovens.


*Second Movement; Affannato*

Please listen as you read:
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=oBDmAxS...%3DoBDmAxSFt6A
(Itzhak Perlman & Yo Yo Ma Dvoraks Humoresque)

Itz...itz, a Pearl man!
Oh, you sweet dear,
a pearl for your mum.
No...no, he's straddlin the various. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soil_Stradivarius

What air ye curry in oon uhboot noo lad?
Cannuh yeh nah finis uh sentence? 
I'll strap yer hind quarters wi' thistle,
ee ye doon star mak'n sense!
The various what?

T'aint...t'aint no riddle
I mean to say, he's boowin uh fiddle.
An...an on 'is Bach a painting he totes
uh velvet painting of murky moats.

Sweet mother of Walter Scott's goost!
That'd be oono them Aberdeen hawkers 
peddl'n tha new trashy Mozart.
'An just look ow they're pushin it
on the junk Mahlers too!

Send eem oon is way boy
an gee Bach ere an pull 
those beets from the Beetoven.
I'll serve 'em wi gruel.


*Third Movement - Calamine Lotion Reprise*
Scherzo Fester Itcho
Originally presented on Easter

Please listen as read:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQhza6uo92Y
(Kraftwerk Franz Schubert

Therethere you go Bert,
now youre getn a Handel
o colorn them eggs
for th Easter ensemble

Look! the moats art hawker,
he comes through the gate
all red with uh rash
even the top o is pate!

Well put on yer Schubert
an run down to stop him
take the calamine
and tub to soak in.

Whereve you been Haydn,
you velvet sham?
In a cove on loch Shasta
caught in ivy, huntn Easter ham.

Ayethen youll be suffrn from that nasty Shostakovich!...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmCnQDUSO4I


*Fourth Movement -A Mothers Day Suite*
Rondo Affectionado
Originally presented on Mothers Day

Please listen as you read: 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmOClcEk124
(Saint-Saëns Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso)

What cacophony hies from yer room Bert?
Turn doon that deavin rock manenough!
Whutsa ma, you want to hear Rachmaninoff?
Nae boy, Id rather not hear any ting atoll.

Unless its the pipes boy

Aye, Ill take the pipes o Pan on the ides of May.
Play them now on yer dear ol mums special day.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7rjbrqcQ5Sw

An whos this slit skirt lass as got yer kilt in a flutter?
When ul you get uh rondo intruducin yer mudder?
Her name is Camille, shes from Saint Saëns;
a capricious bird, with a bow on her sconce.

She took the low road from the south of France.
If shed taken the high road, shed nae dusted er pants.
You could uh ridden Debussy lassie for nary a pence,
it stops at firth and forth, right next to our fence.

Ach naw! its tha painter of moats token on a missile, 
lookn like a clatty wraith wi uh dose o jumpn fits.
Higher an Abbey Craig from smokn too much thistle, 
your faether would say hes got a bit o the Heifetz

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NeApec5uZMU

----------


## desiresjab

Funny stuff!

----------


## Lokasenna

Having been deprived of internet for a couple of months, I've only just found this. I still think it's a good idea!

I'm happy for anything of mine to go ahead, should it be deemed worthy of inclusion. _Apple a Day_ has been mentioned, and my recent _Kingdom Come_ might be reasonable choices?



Apple a Day

Way back when in Eden,
God made an apple tree.
Said to Eve an' Adam:
"Don't touch it, let it be."

Eve went kinda crazy,
talkin' to Mister Snake:
"Woman, eat that apple,
it ain't no crime to take."

Evie ate the apple,
with evil got to grips.
Then knew herself and found
the fire between her hips.

Adam came a-lookin',
she gave him that sweet fruit.
He saw she were right fair
and wearin' birthday suit.

The Lord, He walked abroad,
lookin' for His chillun'.
Found 'em actin' scand'lous,
not as He was willin'.

Man He set to workin',
woman to givin' birth,
then poor ol' Mister Snake,
He ground into the earth.

And now we pass our days,
makin' love and workin',
and our old snakey friend,
he gone back to lurkin'.

We grow them apples now,
grow under every sky,
we take our daily fill,
we bake 'em into pie.

Keep the apples comin',
keep lovin' while you may.
Take joy in bein' free,
keep mean ol' God away. 

Kingdom Come

We hear about the end of war,
The news is sung from door to door,
While bodies pile up on the floor
And all our feelings numb.
O Lord, O Lord,
Is this thy kingdom come?

The statues went and towers fell,
We were told all would be well,
The Devil sighs and reigns in hell
Atop a growing sum.
O Lord, O Lord,
Is this thy kingdom come?

Did John alone have eyes that see?
Can one be both a slave and free?
The laws that govern you and me
Do not apply to some.
O Lord, O Lord,
Is this thy kingdom come?

A lonely rider rides the sky,
White horse, white drone, away to fly,
But we aground must love and die
Beneath a ruler’s thumb.
O Lord, O Lord,
Is this thy kingdom come?

All bodies rise up from the ground,
And march to here from all around,
They only hear the trumpet’s sound,
The beating of a drum.
O Lord, O Lord,
Is this thy kingdom come?

And they have died that yet do live,
Poor souls with nothing left to give,
That cannot damn, that can’t forgive
But only can succumb.
O Lord, O Lord,
Is this thy kingdom come?

We tools of war were made to mar,
In Father’s fire we sere and char,
So never knowing what we are
Nor what we may become.
O Lord, O Lord,
This is thy kingdom come.

----------


## Pompey Bum

*POEM REMOVED BY AUTHOR*

Thank you for the offer, Dieter. I regret that I cannot (and do not) give my permission for any of my writing to be used in this project. That includes the limerick quoted above. I am truly sorry.

Thanks to Hawkman, too, whose comment above led me to the following by another member (whose posts I normally keep blocked):

"There should be nothing democratic about it, except the freedom to submit. An editorial board, consisting of myself and a few others would make the selections."

Heh heh. I think not. Thanks for the heads up, Hawkman.

----------


## desiresjab

> *POEM REMOVED BY AUTHOR*
> 
> Thank you for the offer, Dieter. I regret that I cannot (and do not) give my permission for any of my writing to be used in this project. That includes the limerick quoted above. I am truly sorry.
> 
> Thanks to Hawkman, too, whose comment above led me to the following by another member (whose posts I normally keep blocked):
> 
> "There should be nothing democratic about it, except the freedom to submit. An editorial board, consisting of myself and a few others would make the selections."
> 
> Heh heh. I think not. Thanks for the heads up, Hawkman.


Let's see. I am trying to figure out who cares.

----------


## desiresjab

The quote of mine above provided by my former bodyguard Pompey Bum, is indeed accurate but quite irrelevant. It was very close in time to the initial proposal. So I volunteered my services. Someone had to do it. I could not very well volunteer the services of others. I reiterate: I have no official position in this project. I initially suggested it, but that does not award me a position.

I still think Dieter is the best man for the job, and he is the one I am looking to. He does not make enemies easily, and I seem to collect 'em. Maybe I am only collecting enemies who also collect enemies.

My ideas evolve, too. One aspect of this project that should be democratic, I believe, is the selection of the board or panel that selects the poems. I do not believe every aspect of the project should be a voting matter for the broad majority. I believe the selection of the poems should not be by the broad majority, but a smaller panel which the submitting poets themselves vote to act as editors on the project's behalf. It should be based on merit, not a popularity contest. Other issues might have to be hashed out in the open, as well.

How of much of the process to take behind the scenes is a difficult question. Some folks might prefer none, that the entire process be transparent. If the forum at large is going to vote on poems, as they did on stories, then anonnymity is the only way, I think. There is probably a way to set that up with mod approval.

So, I made a couple of enemies in Hawkman and Pompey Bum, Hawkman without even trying.

Never say I cannot be concilatory. Pompey Bum I still owe an apology, because I think that part of our dispute got erased by the mods in another thread. I should not read these forums immediately after I arise, so to Pompey Bum in rhyme I apologize. Mr. Bum, whether or not you accept it, the apology still stands.

Mr. Hawkman, I do not owe you an apology, and you do not owe me one, either. My presumptuousness in setting myself up originally as an editor offended you. If I had not done that presumptuous thing, we would not have a project underway. One should easily be able to tell by my later posts that I recognize the superior skill sets of others as better equipped to see the project forward.

I want to personally and openly extend my welcome to Hawkman and Pompey Bum, if they should ever change their minds and decide to join the project. We would all benefit from their participation. 

Hawk, you were going to get my vote as an editor, maybe cheif editor. I saw from many posts that you were tough as hell and could make the hard decisions and say the hard things, plus you could write. But fork me, right? Maybe not. You are always welcome, if you ever change your mind, and will still get my vote. I am really not writing you a pop song here.

Please keep sending in your poems to this thread, folks.

----------


## DieterM

> *POEM REMOVED BY AUTHOR*
> 
> Thank you for the offer, Dieter. I regret that I cannot (and do not) give my permission for any of my writing to be used in this project. That includes the limerick quoted above. I am truly sorry.
> 
> Thanks to Hawkman, too, whose comment above led me to the following by another member (whose posts I normally keep blocked):
> 
> "There should be nothing democratic about it, except the freedom to submit. An editorial board, consisting of myself and a few others would make the selections."
> 
> Heh heh. I think not. Thanks for the heads up, Hawkman.


Oh my. What can I do but sigh and say I regret your decision? And the decision of all the others (heartwing, Sam Smith) who have removed their submissions as well? I did regret hawkman's reaction and told him so. He did explain his reasons, I accepted them, and I daresay we remain the same good old LitNet friends we were before. He does know (I hope) how much I appreciate his writing and his feedback.

What my view on this project is – well, I have stated it quite clearly, I guess, and I can only repeat it. In my eyes, this is NOT *my* project. Nor is it desiresjab's. I have sketched guidelines I thought could work, and I have immediately said "please tell me what you think of these guidelines, all of you". I have repeated and repeated "let's do this together" and "let's work out together *how* we shall do this". I have expressed *my* point of view. desiresjab has expressed *his* point of view, i.e. "There should be nothing democratic about it, except the freedom to submit. An editorial board, consisting of myself and a few others would make the selections." That makes *two* pov's. Out of – how many members are we in these Forums?

And now I realize some of you jump off the train because you don't agree with one of the expressed pov's. Instead of saying "I don't agree – let's rather do it this way or that way". I accept and regret. I would have preferred hawkman to join us because of the high esteem in which I hold him. I would have preferred you, Pompey, and any other LitNet member to join and participate. 

I'm really curious to see the outcome of this whole project. And I patiently repeat: please, you who reads these lines, if you have any idea of how we can make this work, let us know. In my eyes, this is a LitNet project, not a dieterm-project, not a desiresjab-project, not a single-member-project whatsoever. We can only make it happen if we do it together.

PS: just saw that you posted at the same time, desiresjab! Huh! Coincidence :-) Oh, and Lokasenna, I wanted to add: glad you have your internet connection back. Welcome on board, too :-)

----------


## Sam Smith

> Oh my. What can I do but sigh and say I regret your decision? And the decision of all the others (heartwing, Sam Smith) who have removed their submissions as well?


Hi Dieter, I simply removed my submission for the time being because it seemed overlooked and you were the only one replying to me. I am happy to repost it and to be used for the project, but more than anything I want to get feedback. I did not remove it because I am scared of copyright/rejection etc. I almost felt like this wasn't the place to be getting feedback? 
Either way, as a sign of good faith and to keep the project going here is what I posted before. It would be great to hear what anyone thinks to it.


The Shrine to Loneliness - Sam Smith


His face; a picture of awe, of wonder,
Framed only by a congealing pool of blood.
Before him, a rose - beautifully alone,
Casting glances to where the man once stood.

Vomit caresses his stupor-slackened jaw.
Macabre maggots tickle the inner nose, 
While wisps of freed faecal matter cha-cha
With sweet fragrances from the enchanted rose.

His neck smiles; because his pale lips cannot.
As motherly flies tidy the dribbled mess,
His blade weeps red tears only the rose sees. 
Here it is: The Shrine to Loneliness - 

Look how it glows, 
Isn't it wonderful? Said the rose.

----------


## Danik 2016

My proposal would be a LitNet book with three sections: 1- Poetry; 2- Prose; 3- Visual Arts(including Photography). The focus is as yet on poetry, but there are very good contribuitions for sections 2 and 3, provided their authors are interested in participating.
I guess one thing to consider besides the issue of quality is that LitNet is a (probably not very usual) community of strong personalities. What made me chose LitNet 6 months ago in preference to others when I was looking for a literature site, is that I felt that I was connecting with interesting, cultivated people, who had or not the same reading preferences and opinions than myself and where the output wasn´t reduced to reading lists and literary surweys. People post opinions, poems, stories and other contributions about almost anything. There is a high level of energy echange and as in other human situations there are personalitie clashes too. What I think is that the LitNet Book should somehow be a mirror of the community. It would be a pity if relevant members were not represented in it because of personal issues.
What regards the project itself, there will probably be a lot to do for a great many people. Who and how that will be done, if it is going to be done at all is on us to decide.
What we have up to the present: DJ started the idea of the Poetry Anthology and Dieter (who seems to have experience in publishing) agreed to be ahead of it. Poems have been submitted by their authors or suggested by other Litnetters.
But before it advances in any direction, I have to go back to my old question: Whatever its final form, where is the money for this project to come from?

----------


## tailor STATELY

As far as finances go crowdfunding might be the way to proceed: http://www.crowdfunding.com ; 

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=...BhCl4CM-hNI7lg

I have been pondering what I might submit and hope to have an offering soon.

Ta ! _(short for tarradiddle)_,
tailor STATELY

----------


## Danik 2016

That would be nice, Taylor! Crowfunding seems a good idea to me. The question is: how ripe must the project be for crowfunding?

----------


## heartwing

> Oh my. What can I do but sigh and say I regret your decision? And the decision of all the others (heartwing, Sam Smith) who have removed their submissions as well?


Just to clarify: I didn't submit. Only requoted PB submission and gave it a smiley face.

It is going to take significant courage for me to offer something. I'm not a poet but I am an experienced prose writer, editor, and beginning teacher of flash fiction prose. But I like your idea here and I'm cheering for you.

----------


## heartwing

> But before it advances in any direction, I have to go back to my old question: Whatever its final form, where is the money for this project to come from?


I like your ideas, Danik. If all the sections go through, I am interested in helping make editorial decisions in the prose section. 

But regardless, let me throw this out there, that an anthology, whatever is included, be attached to a cause, something LitNetters would care about, such as literacy. That helps lend a raison d' etre to the project but it could galvanize it too from many directions, on the part of all involved and all would-be financial supporters.

----------


## heartwing

> Hi Dieter, I simply removed my submission for the time being because it seemed overlooked and you were the only one replying to me. I am happy to repost it and to be used for the project, but more than anything I want to get feedback. I did not remove it because I am scared of copyright/rejection etc. I almost felt like this wasn't the place to be getting feedback? 
> Either way, as a sign of good faith and to keep the project going here is what I posted before. It would be great to hear what anyone thinks to it.
> 
> 
> The Shrine to Loneliness - Sam Smith
> 
> 
> His face; a picture of awe, of wonder,
> Framed only by a congealing pool of blood.
> ...


Hi Sam. I saw you had removed your poem earlier too. I was going to go back and read it having read it once and then it was gone. So see, it is being read and remembered.

----------


## Sam Smith

> Hi Sam. I saw you had removed your poem earlier too. I was going to go back and read it having read it once and then it was gone. So see, it is being read and remembered.


Good stuff. Thanks, heartwing. It'll be nice if this project goes through.

----------


## desiresjab

> Hi Sam. I saw you had removed your poem earlier too. I was going to go back and read it having read it once and then it was gone. So see, it is being read and remembered.


I don't believe I saw it. Not sure. I will read a poem casually first, almost lightly, to see how everything feels. Often I will come back later, for a not so casual read. Every poem deserves serious reading. The senses will not always catch every nuance the first time, that is the nature of the beast.

How would you like to see us proceed, heartwing? Thou art new here, with no axes to grind yet. What would be the ideal parameters and rules and protocol for this project, as you envision them? Or maybe you have not envisioned them fully. I do not mean to ask more than you can give at the moment. This is what we (those of us who _are_ speaking out to push this project forward) would like to know from those who plan to participate.

But I do have to ask (rhetorically) whether those that never submit a poem should have a vote on anything? What are your feelings on that?

If poem selection were left up to a forum wide vote, people who have never written a poem, never studied poetry seriously, would be voting anyway. Those kind of votes boil down to whether the voter agrees with what they shallowly perceive the poet to have said. I would much rather have people whose critical sensibilities I know something of and trust to judge the poetry. That is my feeling on that issue and the resasons for it.

----------


## Pompey Bum

> I daresay we remain the same good old LitNet friends we were before.


As are we, mon frere. If some of these bugs can be swatted (especially in regard to review process), I may still submit some of my doggerel. My sonnets and other serious poems are not nearly good enough for publication. They are too personal to make public in any case. But the rest would be fine. Feel free to PM me if things change. Sorry (really) to be such a fusspot.

----------


## Danik 2016

> I like your ideas, Danik. If all the sections go through, I am interested in helping make editorial decisions in the prose section. 
> 
> But regardless, let me throw this out there, that an anthology, whatever is included, be attached to a cause, something LitNetters would care about, such as literacy. That helps lend a raison d' etre to the project but it could galvanize it too from many directions, on the part of all involved and all would-be financial supporters.


Thanks for your support and your ideas, HW!I think your idea of a cause might help a lot we the crowfunding if we decide on it.
Another thing I am not sure about is, if it is necessary to have only one copyright for the whole project, or one for each contribuition. The last would mean the loss of anonymity, as copyrights are issued only for real names,

----------


## heartwing

> How would you like to see us proceed, heartwing? Thou art new here, with no axes to grind yet. What would be the ideal parameters and rules and protocol for this project, as you envision them? Or maybe you have not envisioned them fully. I do not mean to ask more than you can give at the moment. This is what we (those of us who _are_ speaking out to push this project forward) would like to know from those who plan to participate.
> 
> But I do have to ask (rhetorically) whether those that never submit a poem should have a vote on anything? What are your feelings on that?
> 
> If poem selection were left up to a forum wide vote, people who have never written a poem, never studied poetry seriously, would be voting anyway. Those kind of votes boil down to whether the voter agrees with what they shallowly perceive the poet to have said. I would much rather have people whose critical sensibilities I know something of and trust to judge the poetry. That is my feeling on that issue and the resasons for it.


This could work like a literary journal works sometimes, one that may have many in its volunteer ranks reading a lot of submissions. You have the editor in chief who ultimately makes all decisions pertaining to the journal. The people working under the editor in chief, the next tier down, have their tasks divided out by genre and do make recommendations for narrowing things down a bit. But if this anthology is to cover poetry only, maybe there is some other way of breaking it down. 

Everyone reading submissions could come up with a list of their top fifteen say. I don't think you have to be poet to take a vote. I am not a poet but I could take a gander at the material that I feel is strong. And no, I will not be in charge of any decision making if there is no prose involved. I can read as a reader only and take a vote like anyone else. I was just saying should prose be involved I would like the chance to say something.

The editor can field all votes but is the only one in charge of making the final decision. That is one way to do it. I realize I am new here and I don't want to upset anyone about this and I'm still figuring out what the priorities would be. But this is a thought. So presumably the ultimate decision maker would be someone with a good sense of poetry and it seems like the person who started this thread is a pretty good one for this. Anxiety about votes being cast by people who presumably don't know anything about poetry - kind of an assumption there - can be put aside because the votes are suggestions.

----------


## heartwing

> Thanks for your support and your ideas, HW!I think your idea of a cause might help a lot we the crowfunding if we decide on it.
> Another thing I am not sure about is, if it is necessary to have only one copyright for the whole project, or one for each contribuition. The last would mean the loss of anonymity, as copyrights are issued only for real names,


From a post on Absolute Write: 

Copyright for anthologies and other collective works is different from copyright for novels or other single-author works. The Copyright Law of the United States, as given in the USCO Circular 92, Chapter 2, Section 201(c), says:



"Contributions to Collective Works. — Copyright in each separate contribution to a collective work is distinct from copyright in the collective work as a whole, and vests initially in the author of the contribution. In the absence of an express transfer of the copyright or of any rights under it, the owner of copyright in the collective work is presumed to have acquired only the privilege of reproducing and distributing the contribution as part of that particular collective work, any revision of that collective work, and any later collective work in the same series."
In other words, PUBLISHER doesn't have the right to publish the individual stories as standalones, but by law PUBLISHER retains copyright to the entire anthology. Here is the link to the relevant document on the USCO website: http://www.copyright.gov/title17/92chap2.html (http://www.copyright.gov/title17/92chap2.html)

This is the U.S. law regarding anthologies/collective works, and applies to everyone who submits to an anthology and to everyone who publishes an anthology.


If you will look in the front of a copy of ANTHOLOGY, you will see that the copyright to the book is held by PUBLISHER, although the copyright to the individual stories remains with the authors. The contract did require print exclusivity until October 2008, to prevent any sort of conflict and competition with sales of the print edition until that time, but after that point, you received full rights to your stories returned to you.


Copyright of any work is not for a particular version; i.e., it is not separate for print versions than for electronic versions, as long as the contents of the two are the same. "Rights" and "copyright" are not the same thing. You may have the rights to a magazine article you sell to Woman's World or Field & Stream, but you do not control the copyright of the magazine. And you (or your publisher) may negotiate the audio or foreign rights to a novel or other work, but that does not affect the copyright. Transfer of copyright is a separate issue, and involves specific contractual language. Wolfmont could not publish your individual stories in print, electronically, or in audio versions, but as the copyright holder of the anthology, the collective work, Wolfmont may republish it in in its entirety in any form.

http://absolutewrite.com/forums/arch.../t-182680.html

----------


## desiresjab

Very worthy suggestions, Mr. Wing. Thanks for the information on copyrights as well.

----------


## heartwing

> Very worthy suggestions, Mr. Wing. Thanks for the information on copyrights as well.


 That is Ms. Wing to you, desiresjab.

----------


## DieterM

Hey Sam, glad you reposted your poem. FYI, if you want to get feedback for any future poem of yours, you might consider opening a new thread in this Personal Poetry section. Sometimes your poem will remain unanswered, sometimes you will get plenty of feedback.

I'm glad things seem to get going. Danik, I find your suggestions very interesting; the only worry I have (and it's a worry that only asks to be proven wrong, by the way) is the number of submissions we might get. Meaning: it seems quite difficult to get people interested in a Poetry Anthology (look at the number of submissions  I expected more). If we diversify the contents by adding prose and photos, I'm afraid there'll be even less interest. But as I said, these fears only ask to be proven wrong If we decide to diversify, we should create two new threads, though, in order to comply with the respective Section rules. One submission thread in the Short story section, another one in the General chat section for the photos.

As far as funding for the project is concerned, I don't even think we need any money. As I already pointed out, if we decide to publish the anthology through the best known self-publication channels, that doesn't cost a dime. I don't want to be accused of openly advertizing a well-known website but if you think of the biggest river in South America, you'll know what I'm talking about ;-) The only thing we shall have to invest is energy and time, but that's all. I already offered my services for the layout, and I'm willing to do it for free.

Now what I'd suggest: let's keep this thread free of any discussions concerning the what, if, how, when. Let's only use it for submissions. Otherwise a mod might stumble upon it, frown deeply because we're not discussing poetry (section rules; I know I'm being a bore but beat me, I'm of Germanic origin after all, and a rule is a rule, lol), and they might close it or move it elsewhere. Let's keep the discussion up however. I suggest we do that on desirejab's original thread, which you can find here: http://www.online-literature.com/for...o-Be-Published!!

Btw, heartwing, I nearly "mister"-ed you too. My apologies, dear Ms! Worth a debate over at the General chat section: why upon seeing an online-nickname would someone automatically surmise the person behind it is a man?

----------


## desiresjab

> That is Ms. Wing to you, desiresjab.


As an incubus emeritus, first class (retired), I was supposed to know that. I am slightly past my prime, babe, I mean, Ms.

----------


## desiresjab

Gerald McClellan
by desiresjab



You raised pitbulls to fight,
And fed them live puppies
From your local pet shops
To whet their appetites.

Middleweight champion
Of the world in boxing,
That was you, feared puncher,
Man made of destruction.

Another destroyer
Did not fear, would not yield,
He took your hardest shots
And came back with power,

Left you in a wheelchair.
Some say you fell just right
For all you'd done. I say
That last fight was more fair

Than those in your basement.
Though you got headbutted
A few times, no one fussed,
But looked for new talent.

You got to be the pups,
Flamingos you mowed down
In your new sportscar,
When you could not get up.

Only good luck kept you
Out of innocent paths
A disgruntled ex champ,
Where the dark one swept you.

Now, though not quite revered,
Your legacy is strong,
As far as boxing goes
And your punch that was feared.

Electric chair, wheelchair
You got the better fate,
And you were bound for one
Fight buffs will treat you fair.

I pity the sisters
Who change your diapers
And say their brother's name
In devoted whispers

Who was once champion,
A brave man in the ring
Who went out on his shield
And needs a donation.

This beats your other fate,
Even for them, poor things
The boxing charities
And the aid from the state,

But it requires more
To keep you home because
You steadily decline,
And their door is your door.

You're almost to the end.
All they've learned is your care.
You own the house they'll split
When you die a legend.



copyright 2016 desiresjab lab

----------


## heartwing

> Now what I'd suggest: let's keep this thread free of any discussions concerning the what, if, how, when. Let's only use it for submissions. Otherwise a mod might stumble upon it, frown deeply because we're not discussing poetry (section rules; I know I'm being a bore but beat me, I'm of Germanic origin after all, and a rule is a rule, lol), and they might close it or move it elsewhere. Let's keep the discussion up however. I suggest we do that on desirejab's original thread, which you can find here: http://www.online-literature.com/for...o-Be-Published!!
> 
> Btw, heartwing, I nearly "mister"-ed you too. My apologies, dear Ms! Worth a debate over at the General chat section: why upon seeing an online-nickname would someone automatically surmise the person behind it is a man?


Apology accepted. 

Also, just to clarify, I found myself pulled in to a discussion here and by no means meant to hijack anything. Thanks for the heads up about the other thread. I am new and still getting the lay of the land. Cheers.

----------


## desiresjab

I see some fine poetry being posted these days from numerous people. Many of these folks have never submitted to the LitNet poetry project. I wish they would. Maybe they are as confused as I am. Which thread is this? Is this the one where we submit, or talk about all the other stuff?

This is the submission thread. Got it. I think...

----------


## tailor STATELY

*Here are 6 entries of my own:

Nourishment of the Soul (or Celestial Mechanix)


Open to revelation 
I revel, revolve,
in different circles
than most -
effected less 
by perturbation
Yes, I am mildly 
eccentric, somewhat
giddy at apogee...
Watch me dance !


Respite

Underneathe bright azure
sky spun desire
The winds of love hesitated
breathless by a flower



Lost

the bobcat hunts
lost is that
tacet clarion -
the still noon

tail bent
north to the lost
this still as bone
cat couchant

lost is the silent
tao blur -
that cool-tint
note chants bach

no cotton lace
that's it - still -
the sabbath
the unicorn lost



Spring Has Sprung

Spring has sprung like an old pocket watch whose
works have spilt upon a hardwood floor: Jewels
scurry in a twinkling; there! and there! Gears and
pinions of intricate complexity ( no ébauche utilized
here! ) dance like dreidels for a moment - only to es-
cape from sight; the escape-wheel curiously not so



Jump, Jive; Jazz 

Jumping jalapeño jazz
jouncy jolly Jack-tars join

Jesters jiving; jabbing
jaws jiggling; jibe

Judicious jimjams 
jink!, jink!, jink! 

Joints jactitate; 
jostled jellies jam

Jocularity jauntily jokes -
jocundity's jubilee ! 

Jazzzzzzzzzzzzz... 



Bluebell's Blue

In a forgotten meadow
Late in May
Sometimes when scarlet
Precedes the azure skye
A spider's web strand
Bejeweled with dew
Will tug upon the
Bluebell's blue
Shaking it from
Its sleepy sleep
Waking it to the
Smell of dusky lavender
Emanating from the deep*

Ta ! _(short for tarradiddle)_,
tailor STATELY

----------


## desiresjab

> *Here are 6 entries of my own:
> 
> Nourishment of the Soul (or Celestial Mechanix)
> 
> 
> Open to revelation 
> I revel, revolve,
> in different circles
> than most -
> ...


Welcome, TA. I am just jubilant, by Jove, that you joined the jamboree. I like the idea of playing off the astronomical terms in NOTS. Those terms have a lot of meaning outside of astronomy, which is a cool gimmick. I am not supposed to talk about the poems. Someone told me that. I think it was me.

----------


## Danik 2016

Thanks, Taylor for joining. This group of poems has a happy lighheartedness about it, like spring dances on a lawn. I have already submitted the beautiful poem of yesterday.

----------


## tailor STATELY

I'd like to add a poem of cacian's to the list if she would accept:

*a castle in my dream


It's just a dream
the life I know,
I make it all up
in my sleep,
I often run away from me,
the truth is that I never
see
the things that matter most to me

I build myself up to be big
just like a castle
brick by brick,
and then I tare it all down
to be fit,
pretending that it was a game
and I was the maker of realm

It's just a dream 
I know it is,
I pinch myself up to be
real
but then I end up losing
fear

I wish I could wake up
and feel 
the senses 
the logic that tolls
about a life I hear of more,
I must confess I gather
tears
I never know what else is dear*

Ta ! _(short for tarradiddle)_,
tailor STATELY

----------


## cacian

tailor STATELY I am utterly shocked and flattered at the same time.
I have totally forgotten about this piece I admit. :Smile: 
I thank you very much and I do accept it is very kind.

----------


## Jerrybaldy

Wow. What are people scared of to post on this thread? 99.999 % of you will never be published to any meaningful effect. What's the issue ?

----------


## Danik 2016

Any news about the publication of the book?

----------


## DieterM

Sorry, Danik, saw your post but didn't have time to reply at once. Well, as far as I'm concerned, I'm still on board but I decided some weeks ago to lean back and watch if other people are interested in this project at all. Looks as if the answer was a loud and thunderous 'No' if you except those who participated so far. I guess the project can be considered dead and buried…

----------


## Pompey Bum

Requiescat in pace.

----------


## Danik 2016

Well, I suppose people that really value their own stuff have already posted it in some blog.
Than that´s that. Among other things it would have been a nice recollection of the site if it ceased to exist.

----------


## Pompey Bum

> Among other things it would have been a nice recollection of the site if it ceased to exist.


We'll always have Paris.

----------


## Jerrybaldy

:Mad2:

----------


## Pendragon

“Hope Is the Thing With Feathers”

I really don’t care what people say—
Their advice shatters; broken stone tablets beneath Sinai.
I’d love to return to Yesterday…

“Tomorrow things will be different.” Indeed. So they may.
But in all likelihood I’d search but the path I’ll never find.
I really don’t CARE what people say—

Day after dismal, gloomy day—
I HAVE tried to face up to these difficulties in my life.
I’d love to return to Yesterday—

Before this accursed illness came creeping my way,
Battered down the doorways to my mind and crept inside!
I really don’t care WHAT people say—

All I can do is long, hope, and pray
To the One whom alone can (if He desires) send help from on High.
I’d love to return to Yesterday—

But the pressure continues to build and fear holds sway.
Have the walls been breached so that to win is to die?
I really DON’T CARE WHAT people say—
I’d love to return to yesterday…

Pendragon© 9.21.97

POE

The waves wash upon some forgotten shore,
The wind sighs softly among the gnarled trees.
Somewhere a dark bird croaks “Nevermore,”

From his perch upon a bust of Pallas above the chamber door.
The dark clouds split and the heavens bleed.
The waves wash upon some forgotten shore,

As a wild-eyed man searches for his lost Lenore,
Calling out; desperately expressing his needs!
Somewhere a dark bird croaks “Nevermore,”

In tones of Doom as the man implores
The Unforgiving Heavens to return his dreams.
The waves wash upon some forgotten shore,

The beach where she’d played in the days of yore—
He turns to the bottle, trying to drown his needs.
Somewhere a dark bird croaks “Nevermore,”

And the echoes echo the name “Lenore…”
He traces her name on the tombstone as he reads.
The waves wash upon some forgotten shore,
And somewhere a dark bird croaks “Nevermore.”

© 10/6/97 Pendragon

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## Pendragon

This one was on my blog here. I was doing a lot of haunted places as "prose poetry." They were fairly well received.

http://www.online-literature.com/for...-of-Five-Years
The Significance of Five Years

Full moon rises over the bayou,
Mist hangs in the Spanish moss in the trees.
Saw someone moving in the Cemetery at Cyprus Grove
The hour is Midnight in the garden of good and evil.
She wails away somewhere in the swamps
Voodoo Queen, dead undying Marie Laveau …
Gonna be some trouble come morning…

My cloak always hides me in the darkness of the night,
Seems some old boy acquired a hand of glory.
I could tell him that in theses graves Tis best to leave the dead alone.
But he has the spells and the wax and now the hand.
He moves away towards his target, a mansion near the entrance to the Grove,
Laveau screams in the dark somewhere behind him…

Now he’s made his move inside the house and the Hand of Glory flames.
As long as those fingers glow blue none in the house but he can move!
What does he want from them? Their daughter. How pleasant! Lovers.
They are outside now. He draws a water pistol filled with milk and removes the flames.
In a second or two he has recovered the limp hand of the hanged man,
Now something follows as he carries his girl away in the fog

Said I not these graves in Cyprus Grove are best left undisturbed?
It is Laveau again, but this time chanting, as if dancing in a spell.
The Young Man lays his burden down to rest for a moment,
And taking the hand out seeks to throw it as far as he can.
The wind sighs down through the Cyprus tress stirring the beards of moss.

A hand takes the young man by the throat.
Eyes like flames inside of cannon barrels fixate themselves on his face.
“I’ have back my hand, me. You take from Rene, eh? Rene take from you.
“My han’ have five fingers, yes? You use no p’misson. I tink I take 5 years of your life.”
The Horrible eyes turned and spotted me among the stones,
“You tink Rene be fair, Reaper?” I silently raised my scythe in a sign of justice.

Now you know why the haunted graveyards of New Orleans are so popular.
The have a lookout to see things go on, but go on fair.
The couple were married and are doing quite well.
He worries about the little tattoo mark on his chest now and then
And he still hear Marie Laveau cry in the misty nights.
He shouldn’t worry that much. That mark just sped up his date with me.
By exactly 5 years…

Pendragon
© 12/21/07

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## Danik 2016

Good findings, Pendragon! I specially liked the poem about Poe´s Lenore.
It reminded me of another haunted "Lenore", an old German ballad of Burger. I found an Englisch version of it:
http://www.rossettiarchive.org/docs/...ardms.rad.html

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## M4ngo

Here are two of my own I will put in here for the heck of it. 



*Anchored Mistakes*

those eyes
harboring in the shadows
even in a bucket of sun
you can't escape



*Sad Leaves*

Outside my window
I see the melancholy
drift
the sad leaves free
of not knowing where to go

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