spack

15 posts / 0 new

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Thu, 2003-06-19 00:48

spack

I know he has been flagged up before but I have not read any of his work. In fact I've read bugger all of anyone's work for a long time. But, having found my way back into this site through the general diss each other off threads I have now started to read the last 100 entered again.

Now, not wanting to start one of those tedious 'cherrypicking is subjective' threads I thought I would ask spack which of his three pieces submitted today he liked most ... and/or which he enjoyed writing the best.

You see, I started with the cherrypicked 'Olive' which, although it contained some nice lines, never went anywhere for me. Perhaps this is my problem. I need a poem or a piece of prose to 'do' something for me. I need it to make me think or bring out an emotion or to simply make me say 'wow'.

I thought Olive was good but it did none of the above.

I moved on to 'scrabble' a piece read 3 times against Olives' 15 or so.

I loved it. The setting; the characters; the humour; the point.

To me, this was far superior to Olive. Very clever.

I also enjoyed the short 'Complicated' although I read that whilst still chuckling over Scrabble.

So, if was an editor, I would have cherrypicked Scrabble and Olive would be consignia'd to second class post.

Joe?

Sun, 2003-06-29 06:42

andoru odoneru

Really enjoyed this whole set.. and was very impressed with this speed thingy.. is this a UEA course idea or something? It really is a challenge. Wrote four poems under speed poem monika.. but it took an hour.. then had to do another two hour edit. More like 'pottering' poems. I'd post them but there's a bloody disk stuck in my disk drive. Anyway.. good stuff, Joe. Thought 'Complicated' was the best but all were class. Can we see something on the subject of Leeks, maybe?

Sun, 2003-06-29 12:29

Rokkitnite

Speed poems are really a group thing. We kind of made it up. You pick a word at random from any piece of writing, then you all have ten minutes to write a poem with that word in. At the end of the ten minutes, you all read them out. Simple as.

Wed, 2003-07-02 14:51

Spack

Thanks everybody. I love Olives more than life so it pleases me to spread the gospel. Speed poetry is a good idea if for no other reason than you could technically write twelve in two hours (maybe) and you are bound to have one or two which are worth keeping or developing... Thanks Joe

Thu, 2003-06-19 08:14

Liana

Hrm.. I loved Olive, I cherried it. I even spoke admiringly of it on the phone to a friend last night. the reason it works so well, is because of the last part. the freckling on the road. Its a gentle piece, and really (cliche) paints a picture..... I havent read the others I think, but will do so...

Thu, 2003-06-19 11:44

Rokkitnite

You realise of course that, being speed poetry, all three were written in less than ten minutes each. Crikey.

Thu, 2003-06-19 15:21

loafingking

Yeah. And all the damn poems I did were gash.

Thu, 2003-06-19 15:30

Hen

Nah ah. You got a cherry for the train journey one, with your eyes sunk in tar. And I liked 'Olive' very much, with the 'butterfly lips', where you're kissed as if you're off to war. Hey! *I'm* the only one yet to be applauded for a speed poem. Everyone else's olives and scrabbles and blases and harbours have been noted. Rats.

Thu, 2003-06-19 17:00

Flash

1st place: Olive 2nd place: Complicated 3rd place: Scrabble

Thu, 2003-06-19 17:22

#10

Hen

'Complicated' was my favourite! Glorious! Then 'Olive', although I don't like olives - it seems imbued with a sense of joyousness. Happy Joe on his bike with his olives. Aw. My enjoyment of 'Scrabble' was marred by the fact that it's a Peter Reading ripoff/tribute! I think he should get rid of the 'Donald is a fictitious character' stuff and stick with the scrabble stories, which are very funny.

Fri, 2003-06-20 12:53

#11

Spack

What unexpected joy awaited me on the discussion boards. A whole thread dedicated to, of all things, my speed poetry! Thanks very much for the cherry Liana, it made my day, as did this thread, cheers Stormy, Tim, Hen, Ben, Flash. Personally, my favourite and the one I enjoyed writing the most was 'Scrabble' not 'olive'. Mostly because I love scrabble but also because, as Hen rightly points out, its a tribute (or rip-off) to a wonderful Peter Reading poem. I think, also, more thought went into 'scrabble' - I'll admit that although the skeleton was done in ten minutes I tidied it up and fiddled around with it for a little while before submitting. As for 'complicated', it makes a very serious argument too. Never mistake any girl for Avril Lavigne, unless on the off chance she is actually everybody's favourite pop punk princess. Mmm. Sorry. What a joyously self indulgent post. Thanks guys, more speed poems up soon...

Sun, 2003-06-22 19:23

#12

Spack

Thanks for the poem of the week! It's been a long while since I last graced the front page. Woohoo!

Sun, 2003-06-22 20:43

#13

Rokkitnite

Well done, o aptly-monickered sir.

Mon, 2003-06-23 18:38

#14

drew

Well deserved. I loved Olive.

Mon, 2003-06-23 18:42

#15

Liana

me too. speed poem or not, its beautiful.. it has a swift delicacy (and i really do loathe olives, so to overcome that, it has to be good) please dont write one about celery, that may be too much.

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