horus823 Jun 2003

contd. as promised.

a) He's been doing it longer, better, and more consistantly than the both of us put together, me making up 80% of that combo if not 90% because any real poet could tell at a safe mile that you're still as unsure of your footing and style strengths poetically as the sun will rise in the morning. That alone is all he needs to make your life a poetic hellapaluza. About 9 months ago I was so obsessed over his ability to shift weight, press, let off, poetically duel that I would take his work folded up carefully out into the mainstream with me and force people to read it out loud back to me, out of the blue, shopping stores, post office, churches, restrooms, lol. Granted, when you're having a discussion with a well respected director of films or a producer and or fellow artist, and they say something that causes you to think of Dark Angel's poetry, that could well be a sign of some deeper more seriously rooted issues, but I trust my older mentors when they say. Yep, he's real good. In fact I think I've seen him only once mispell a word or have a typo, and I was not fully convinced it didn't happen purposely, and that's his entire collection of poems, comments, and debates, and to the casual poet that's easily snubbed as irrelevant old world poetry hang ups, but i'm talking about over a hundred thousand words here easy. Sure some would say I'm as careless and radical with technique, subject, and style as it gets, but that shit will only take you so far if smack dab in the middle of your latest masterpiece, one eve, as you're reading outloud to your guests after a fine dinner and your pipe. you find "And it was there's to begin with all a long" You think , "how'd i fuckin' miss that shit" And You see you have some good ranks and comments but no 9's or 10's? Hmmm bingo, the mature poet has all the time in the world to do it right once with no worries. While the young street poet is serving up eggs benidict still in a shell and calling it the breakfast of the future.

3. Form, now, I know what I'm good at because I've put myself to mastering structures as of late. This is the spine of all good poets my man. Vilanelles, freeverse, haiku, ghasels and many many others. Why, because as a songwriter myself by origin I figured out quick you have three minutes to say some clever shit in a different way that you practice infinitely, and hope you can work magic. Coincidentally, those structures mentioned above use that same back bone of poignant precise compression to work on the reader. Making them what they are damn fine styles. Work the hell out of every structure (style) you can find, even the ones you suck at, because you won't suck forever. Unless, you're not that quick on the uptake.

contd. again