Thursday, January 24, 2013

92 Proof









Anna Montgomery (where have you been, Anna, I've missed you!) host of tonight's dVerse Meeting the Bar,  wants us to entertain the creative flow in writing poetry. Join in, all ye who are merry or sad, give it your best shot.






92 Proof

So I’m a little drunk tonight, feeling
somewhat guilty
for my word-laziness,
aware that my Muse has left me
but not understanding why.

I’ve done
all the right things, really.

Reflected on
the past,
conjured up old
hurts,
dreamed about
the future
and all that hope entails.
Still, no poem.

No words of my own,

only empty, 92 proof thoughts
that actually feel good
as they buzz around
in my brain.

39 comments:

  1. oy, trying to assuage those thoughts or drown them out...a little Proof, you know...smiles...i think the muse is there waiting...glad you penned it...smiles.

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    1. Thanks Brian, sometimes having the words in there is like a fire in the bones, true torment.

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  2. Ha..ha...you got the poem buzzing around ~ Good to see you at the pub ~

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    1. Thanks Grace, it always feels a bit like cheating to write a poem about writing a poem!

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  3. Ha! A lot of fun here. Really enjoyed it. Suits the pub.

    Also, hope you are liking the Faulkner. Take care, k.

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    1. Thanks Karin, glad you had fun. Yes, I'm enjoying the Faulkner as always. This is my second reading of Sound and Fury, so it's making a little more sense this time. He's difficult, but worth the effort!

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  4. I think many could probably relate... = )

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  5. ...ha...personally, this happens all the time when I am sober...so I'm thinking of trying some 100 proof! ;)

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    1. Katy, thanks--whatever it takes to get the words out.

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  6. Nico, in my humble opinion you write good poetry no matter if you have had 'a few' or not! You write from the heart / the gut; and I always FEEL your words, which is no small thing! Write on.

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    1. Thank you, Mary, those are very encouraging words!

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  7. for words too busy buzzing 'round your head, they came together pretty nicely for this verse.

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    1. Thanks RMP, I don't mind it too much when they buzz, but when they sting it's another matter.

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  8. Very nice. 92 proof? Imagine what 93 proof would feel like? Heh. I can feel the BuZzing all the way over here! Very nicely done.

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    1. Thanks Gretchen, I'm so glad you liked it.

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  9. I like this, free and easy write. Reminds me of a meeting with my tutor, went through my proofs and picked out all the drunken ones "these are your book, what made these so different to the others?" "... about 4 ciders?" "then keep at it!" x

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    1. Thanks Jennifer--sometimes we need a little help opening up the creative pathways. Of course, it's possible to have too much help!

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  10. Ha, I've missed you too. A meta-poem, as Brian says, proof that the muse arrived. All the right things - sometimes they lead us astray anyway, maybe no mind is a better approach sometimes. Or 'floating mind' as the poem illustrates.

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    1. Thanks Anna, for some reason my best poem ideas seem to come on their own, without my conscious effort. Then the work begins.

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  11. You never know where such nights filled with that buzz might lead...and bingo...a poem. Nicely penned indeed.

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    1. Thanks Di, for me it usually just ends in a big old nap!

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  12. ha...doing all the right things made me smile...i think the muse has their own ways for sure and obviously yours turned up at some point...smiles

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    1. Thanks Claudia, my Muse likes to mess with my head.

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  13. ah, 'empty thoughts' don't sound bad to me... and look - they resulted in a beautiful poem. nice flow, well done.

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    1. Thanks Miriam, I guess there can be some value in even empty thoughts.

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  14. 92 proof killed my colleague's son this week
    found dead at college -- his first party
    and he never use to drink
    twas a sad week
    leaving deep sadness for years to come

    Sorry -- your poem reminded me of our stupidity, our sadness, our pain

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    1. Thanks Sabio, and my sympathies to you and your colleague. Why do we humans take something that can be so good and use it to destroy ourselves? Yes, stupid, sad, and painful.

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    2. I've always said, "The best evidence against a benign creator deity is that so many of our greatest pleasures can horribly harm us."
      But then they start talking about apples and snakes so I can only throw up my hands and walk away!
      ;-)

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    3. Maybe we're just an out-of-control experiment. Reminds me of a Far Side cartoon: God dropped a Mason jar labeled "Humans" onto the newly created earth, and says, "Uh-oh."

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    4. Have you read, "Childhood's End" by Arthur C. Clarke. Fascinating though about humans. Short SciFi.
      If we are a failed experiment -- I wonder what the new improved experiment will look like.
      That is why environmentalists are bad people. They just slow down the way for the next experiment. The sooner humans are out of the way -- thrown in the "failed experiment" heap -- the better.
      ;-)

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  15. oh Sabio so sad.

    Nico I can relate to searching for missing words.

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    1. Thanks Lucy, sometimes those words like to play hide-n-seek.

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  16. I laughed out loud, Nico, because you commented that the process illustrated in my poem would put you to sleep and prevent any creation. I cannot write or paint anything if I've been drinking. It is as if alcohol shuts the door on creativity.

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    1. Thanks Kim, I also found it amusing. It's just as well for you--hundreds of artists(painters, writers, musicians) have proven that using mind-altering substances to fuel creation backfires after a while.

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  17. I had a period when all I could write about was how I wasn't able to write anything. It took a close friend to point out the irony of that :-) I haven't found alcohol particularly effective as a stimulant to creativity - my muse appears to like coffee and a quiet space to work on me in.

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    1. Thanks Tony---coffee and quiet sounds wonderfully inspiring!

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  18. 92 Proof thoughts ALWAYS feel good! Mind you, the next morning can be filled with sounds like 'Huh?' and 'What was I thinking?' but at the time....great!

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    1. Thanks Cosmo--that morning after feeling is just nature's way of saying, "Dumb ass!"

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