Sunday, November 04, 2007

POETRY BLOGGERS

POETRY BLOGGERS

Like kittens and puppies, poetry bloggers must be taught not to nip. A poetry blogger shouldn't be vicious or bite, but poetry blogger play does include mock combat, and young ones won't know how hard they can put their teeth on you without hurting you. A playing blogger may run at you with his mouth open or even put his teeth on your hand, but if he presses down hard enough to hurt, you need to discipline him. Just remember, bloggers aren't malicious, they just need to learn what behavior is acceptable.

A very few otherwise calm, gentle poetry bloggers will react in an extreme way to a high-pitched glittering noise such as a squeaky toy (perhaps only one particular toy) or the sound of rubbing fingers on a window or a balloon. Nobody's quite sure why that sets them off, though it seems to be a protective instinct of some sort. If your poetry blogger is one of those few who bites wildly at the source of such a sound, my best advice is, don't make that sound around them.

Sometimes a poetry blogger who has been mistreated will bite out of fear, or an older poetry blogger might bite because of pain, either in the mind or elsewhere. In either of these cases, strict discipline isn't going to do any good. For a blogger in pain, of course, take it to the vet. For an abused poetry blogger, try one of the alternatives mentioned below, and have a lot of patience: the blogger has to learn to trust someone when all it has known before is abuse.

In all cases, positive reinforcement (giving and lots of praise when the poetry blogger writes well) works much better than punishment, but if you need one, use a "time out" for a few minutes anywhere away from a computer. Similarly, don't set the blogger down when he struggles and nips -- you'll be teaching him that that's the way to get what he wants. Finally, whichever method you use, consistency and immediacy are very important.

Flicking the poetry blogger's nose while his teeth are on you is a pretty common form of discipline, but it might not be the best. Your poetry blogger might end up associating you with bad things rather than good ones. Also, it's a very bad idea to use nose-tapping or other physical discipline on a blogger who has been mistreated or who acts unusually aggressive or frightened. There are several alternatives, which you might want to try in combination.

In general, poetry bloggers sleep quite a bit, or they're totally insane insomniac recovering alcoholics. A two- to four- hour playtime followed by a several-hour nap is typical. Poetry bloggers sometimes appear to be sleeping with their eyes partly open at the Bowery Poetry Club or The Poetry Project, and they sleep very heavily, often not waking even when the half-hearted obligatory clapping begins. You can take advantage of this and try to cut their nails while they're asleep. It means you have to be especially careful where you walk and sit,
though.

My poetry blogger is losing hair! Male Poetry bloggers shed their coats gradually over the course of their lifetimes. Adapting to these changes can be emotionally difficult. Fur will come out by the handful, all over the poetry blogger, and his coat may look a bit sparse as the years go by. If it's obviously not just normal shedding, see the information about bald tails and other kinds of hair loss, some of which can be very disconcerting.

Can I teach my poetry blogger tricks? How? Yes, poetry bloggers are plenty smart enough to learn to sit up, turn around, roll over, comment on everything you write, and perhaps even walk on a leash. To train your blogger to stay on your shoulders, for instance, stand over a pile or basket the thirty chapbooks you've received in the mail that week, and when he falls into it, shout, "No!" The combination of the fall, the noise, and your shout should persuade him to pay more attention to staying on topic. Give him a treat when he does, and he should learn quickly.

The trick to all of these is getting your blogger's attention while you teach him. Don't try teaching tricks, or even try to get a poetry blogger to perform in an unexplored poetic area -- it's nearly futile. Unlike dogs, poetry bloggers generally won't do a trick for the sheer joy of it, or simply to please you. Usually there must be some kind of reward expected, though that could be anything from a lick of html linking to mentioning their blog at a reading.

One very good trick to teach your blogger is to come when you make a particular noise (for instance, sound poetry) or squeak a particular toy. Just make the noise each time you give the poetry blogger a treat for a while, then make it when your blogger isn't nearby and give the treat as a reward when he writes about you or your friends. Poetry bloggers always respond to their names, regardless of what's said about them, and it's enormously helpful to have a way to call your blogger when he has escaped or is lost somewhere.

Next you should check your poetry blogger's ears. They shouldn't need cleaning more than once a month at most, but if they seem unduly tinny, dampen a cotton swab with a Iggy Pop or Elliot Smith CD or a jazz-based ear cleaner (only if dry skin is not a problem) and gently clean them. Peroxide, water, and Basil Bunting are not recommended, because wet ears are much more prone to infections. Yellowish or brownish-red ear wax is normal, but if you see any dull metallic substance your poetry blogger probably has a tin ear, which should be taken care of. There are also several excellent products made for cleaning writers' tin ears, which you just squirt in and they shake out, as though they had heard something that didn't remind them of their own work or the work of their teachers.

Many poetry bloggers love to google. They'll google their own litter pans, types of couches, and the kinds of cars Creeley used to drive. Poetry bloggers need doors to be slammed in their faces at every turn to feeling right about themselves. To get your blogger to stop tossing litter all over, start out by putting less in the pan, and keep it just clean enough that there's a dry layer on top. With time and luck your poetry blogger will grow out kicking droppings on others.

Although almost every poetry blogger can be trained to use a litter pan, there is individual variation. Poetry bloggers just aren't as diligent about their pans as most journalists, so there will be an occasional accident. Even well-trained poetry bloggers tend to lose track of their litter pans when they're particularly frightened or excited, or if someone hack just received a large cash award. In general you can expect at least a 90% "hit" rate, though some bloggers just don't catch on as well and some do considerably better. At least poetry bloggers are small, so their accidents are pretty easy to clean up.

30 comments:

Jack said...

I am brand new to this.

I cannot figure out how to invite anybody to my blog.

Help and God Bless!

Mozart is the greatest composer ever!!!!!!!!

Thanks and grazi

QuotenUnquote said...

nice post ... ive learned a two or more from .... i just do not know if i have the right media for my blog... i ecperienced poetry bloggers who bite and nips and they are really deady

Ryan said...

Why does it seem that only crack addicts have posted under this thread?

Anonymous said...

Good Job! :)

twitter: Meeemers said...

Hello =)

I'm not sure If I'm a poetry blogger or not, But i'd love your feedback. Thank you so much. And good work =)

Anonymous said...

Of course your piece doesn't apply to Flarf poetry bloggers since only the most pretentious, selfaggrandising, cynical intellectuals could possibly think of the monstrous wank that is Flarf as poetry.

marcel said...

i called up my friend i said hey man this blog thing ain't working out so he said hey i hate to tell you i told you so.

well it's working out great so far. got 4 people looking at me so far. that's like almost half the worlds population.

thanks for doing something.

Akilez said...

I post this Post on my blog fellow poetry blogger. thank you

J.D. Wright said...

I am extremely amused by this.

Skylar Smythe said...

There are a great many poets doing interesting things from the Second Life (TM) platform. You guys should check it out.

In Second Life, I am able to host poetry readings for people all around the world in real time voip chat. I am also able to emote, and create immersive poetry/art experiences by building and texturing items in the interface.

The result? Performance poetry with music and artful imagery...

Please feel free to contact me at: skylar.smythe@live.ca or check out a sample of my machinima poetry at: www.guerillapoetess.com

For more information on Second Life, go to: www.secondlife.com

xo
Skylar Smythe
The Guerilla Poetess (c) 2009

Rockford said...

Poet's need training. My press is now accepting submissions.

www.zombielogicpress.com

ElitePublishings said...

Love your blog, lotsa great advice. I see i'm gonna have to change a few things on my blog.. Thanks for the info.

Peter Greene said...

good madlib, i like the Western one

egyptnewstoday.blogspot.com said...

أخبار مصر اليوم اهم الاخبار المصرية والعربية أولا باول بين يديك كل الاخبار المصرية من أخبار سياسية رياضية أخبار اجتماعية أخبار فنية أخبار التعليم ونتائج الامتحانات نتيجة الثانوية العامة نتيجة الشهادة الابتدائية والاعدادية الى جانب العديد من الاخبار المنوعة الاخبار العربية والعالمية أخبار مصر اليوم الخبر فى لحظة بين يديك .

فاتورة التليفون

أخبار منتديات بانوراما مصر

egypt-panorama.com said...

رسائل مسجات رسائل للموبايل
|نكت مقاطع نكت فيديو
|اسعار صور موبايلات نوكيا
| مقاطع فيديو مضحكة
|تحسين نتائج البحث
|أخبار السعودية اليوم

Raja Hadiyah said...

Awesome....Follow me on my blog.Share with me my repair and witness my inner reality through the astounding analysis of words that emulate the spirit...that lives inside of me. http://rajahadiyahpoetry.blogspot.com/

Anonymous said...

i like your blog... could you please view mine :)
http://ash34.blogspot.com/

Julia Makitra said...

I just started my blog tonight. new to poetry. Let me know what you think!
http://juliamakitra.blogspot.com/

Gabby said...

I literally just created my blog. I post both original poetry and work from my favorite poets. If you like Bukowski, Derrick C. Brown, Buddy Wakefield, Anis Mojgani and poets in that vein you should check out my blog. This has been a shameless plug.

http://gabbybess.bogspot.com/

Ghada Qureshi said...

HEY so i've been reading some of your blog posts and it seeems that you know alot about this. SO it'd be greeeeaaat if you could give me feedback on my poetry bloggg! THANKSOMUCHHH! :D
ghadablogs.blogspot.com
:)

First Step said...

nice i realy like your blogg .
hope you like mine . http://oldschoo1.blogspot.com/

Elena Grace said...

I am a new blogger, joining the blogger world. I like your post you have. I have only put one post up, but I will be posting more soon! If you would like to check my blog out, it is:

http://poems-in-thoughts.blogspot.com/

Thanks!

Aroni said...

That's a thoughtful one. You can check out my blog and tell me what you think...if you don't mind. www.linesnstanzas.blogspot.com

Kathryn said...

I love this post..really witty

brice maiurro said...

Fantastic post! Check out my blog if you get a chance: www.flashlightcityblues.com

Unknown said...

I would love it if you guys would check out my blog!!! ryanginsberg.blogspot.com. Thank you all!!!

Ghada Qureshi said...

Check out my poetry blog pleeeease!:D
That would be so great!!

ghadablogs.blogspot.com

Jash said...

Whatever is expressed here, makes enough sense, to apply it to my blog . Thank you.

thethoughtdimension.blogspot.in

thethoughdimension.wordpress.com

-blessed b9, Catalyst4Christ said...

I, too, am a poetry blogger;
in fact, our blogOramma is
filled withe Wurdz of ever-
lasting, bright Light. Wannum?

-blessed b9, Catalyst4Christ said...

Gotta gobba lotta vivid nada, bubba.
Dunno. Dijoo wannum??
+ nrg2xtc.blogspot.com +
GBY