This used to be called "Note to self: an essay on meaning
(or why words don't only mean what we want them to mean)"
But then I realised I actually wrote it for everyone except you.
8-)
The reason lots of people
in particular myself
tend to think that my poetry is not very good
is because they (and I mean us) think that what I mean
by "poetry"
ought to correspond to what they mean
by "poetry".
When I (and I mean you) talk about "poetry"
I am not talking about something
which I have construed as needing to in any way correspond,
or be compared to or put along side what other people (and I mean us)
may or may not call "poetry".
If you (and I mean me) want to know
what I (and I mean you) mean
by "poetry", read my poems;
my poems provide definitive and exact examples of
what I mean by "poetry".
Please do not ever under any circumstance
expect my "poetry"
to match up to some standard you have of what
you think poetry ought to be.
My poems just aren't ever going to do that.
My poems just aren't ever going to do that.
My poems just aren't ever going to do that.
You'll only be disappointed (and I mean me).
And so will I (and I mean you).
Why will I be disappointed too?
Because you (and I mean me) came to me expecting
that when I say I write "poetry" I ought to be writing something like
what you would call "poetry"
and I don't:
I only ever write something like what I call "poetry".
But I never promised to write what you call "poetry"
and then call it what I call "poetry" in the first place.
So you accuse me of doing something
which I never promised I wouldn't do
and now you're blaming me for breaking an agreement I never made
based on an assumption that I never agreed to.
I promise I'll sleep with you
if you promise to stop jumping to the wrong conclusion
and then blaming me for it
(and I mean you)
Poetry by Andrew Bindon
Read 585 times
Written on 2010-01-05 at 12:47
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(or why words don't only mean what we want them to mean)"
But then I realised I actually wrote it for everyone except you.
8-)
For everyone except you
The reason lots of people
in particular myself
tend to think that my poetry is not very good
is because they (and I mean us) think that what I mean
by "poetry"
ought to correspond to what they mean
by "poetry".
When I (and I mean you) talk about "poetry"
I am not talking about something
which I have construed as needing to in any way correspond,
or be compared to or put along side what other people (and I mean us)
may or may not call "poetry".
If you (and I mean me) want to know
what I (and I mean you) mean
by "poetry", read my poems;
my poems provide definitive and exact examples of
what I mean by "poetry".
Please do not ever under any circumstance
expect my "poetry"
to match up to some standard you have of what
you think poetry ought to be.
My poems just aren't ever going to do that.
My poems just aren't ever going to do that.
My poems just aren't ever going to do that.
You'll only be disappointed (and I mean me).
And so will I (and I mean you).
Why will I be disappointed too?
Because you (and I mean me) came to me expecting
that when I say I write "poetry" I ought to be writing something like
what you would call "poetry"
and I don't:
I only ever write something like what I call "poetry".
But I never promised to write what you call "poetry"
and then call it what I call "poetry" in the first place.
So you accuse me of doing something
which I never promised I wouldn't do
and now you're blaming me for breaking an agreement I never made
based on an assumption that I never agreed to.
I promise I'll sleep with you
if you promise to stop jumping to the wrong conclusion
and then blaming me for it
(and I mean you)
Poetry by Andrew Bindon
Read 585 times
Written on 2010-01-05 at 12:47
Save as a bookmark (requires login) Write a comment (requires login) Send as email (requires login) Print text
