Dear Bob, The mistake one makes is in the assumption that words mean anything. It's the context, as you know, which emboldens. This idea, while not clearly articulated or perhaps understood by many in the past, is what's new. This is what one is attempting to accomplish by 'cut-up methodology' (although many are still unaware of this). The methodology is outmoded, the gamble that something barely representative of intelligible communication might arise is the stooge whereby actual communication is relugated to periphery and to the detriment of--. One might say a scribble is something, maybe can coerse others to become excited by it, but this is not poetry's role (as it is to make people excited by what is communication and the possibility thereof). Surely it is fun, which is worthwhile (of course), but that is something entirely different. A parallel could additionally be made between what is created and how it is read (spoken word), and how its worth is perseved by audience carried by waves of emotion and not by what is articulated. To denegrate poetry so, because it might provide one with easy answers to the hard process of discovery, I might liken to academito lower one's standard as to unconsciably deficate on one's self. And I want to suggest that words like 'academic exercise' says nothing, nada, and more manipulative in political context--and leads one to sadly consider the Pied Piper of Hamelin. And this recognition is no more academic than Cummings, Kenneth Patchen, John Cage, Creeley, and O'Hara (among others). To Deconstruct is something, sure, a given, but its the space between the words and behind the words that meaning something and, remember, when they mean nothing, we are cheapened.
As Pound said, and I'm paraprasing a quote passed along by Robert Creeley, a poem must stand on the legs of a biped, and its the work untimately that's important (or, again, the communication therein). And so Bob, as one is keenly aware of the process and because we are good friends, I will not bore you with further details. AJ AJ __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com
