The Truth About Lies Blog

Jim Murdoch is the author of this blog talking about all things poetry. He discusses his views on various subjects related to poetry and also his views on other people’s articles. If you like intelligent discussion, this is the place to go. Much like Ron Silliman’s articles you will find these articles require real attention because they are full of useful information.

http://jim-murdoch.blogspot.com/

Thanks to all of you who took the poll. Six people answered, four read more than 15 individual poets a year, 1 reads almost 15, and 1 reads between 6 and 10. Looks like people read more poets than I initially thought! Very good...
Thanks for dropping in, please stop by tomorrow for another living poet…

P.S. If you would like to see any particular poets featured here, please let me know either by comments or e-mail. I’m always open to searching out poets and hopefully I can find the majority of the mentions in the library or a used book-store.

Poetry Tip: Brainstorm Lists

There are some poems out there made up entirely of a list of things. Why not try the same thing for your poetry exercise? How can you turn your grocery list into a poem? How about a to-do list? Once you have the list, can you expand on the experience of performing the actions required to complete what is on the list and turn those actions into a poem? Your next poem may be about trying to buy your favorite bag of chips at the store only to discover your favorite flavor isn’t available. What then? You expand on the experience of feeling disappointed and settling on something else. The sky is the limit, may the muse be with you…

Stop by tomorrow for another poetry blog…

Gloom Cupboard Open Submissions

This is actually blog that publishes poems regularly, and is now accepting e-mail submissions for Issue 10. You can e-mail your submissions to: aprilmaymarch777@yahoo.co.uk

I asked the owner of the blog if there were any particular guidelines he used, and in a word, “no.” Here is what he told me in reply:

“I've deliberately left the submissions guidelines free and open. So there are no limits on style or content. I like people who are trying to be awkward and different. Of course my weakness for Bukowski-lite poetry means that occasionally a few of the same old - same old slip through the net.” –Richard Wink

http://gloomcupboard.blogspot.com/

Poems Linked and Liked by Poet Hound

http://chicanopoet.blogspot.com/2007/10/bluebonnet-state-of-mind-wallace.html
Reyes Cardenas’ poem linking poets to Texas


http://www.guerillapoetics.org/broadsides/
Charles P. Ries “The Perfect Saint”, and all of the poems featured are great!


Thanks for dropping in, check out tomorrow’s Open Submissions for those of you sending your poems out into the world in hopes of publication…

T.S. Eliot

Yes, T.S. Eliot is well known and loved by poets everywhere. Thomas Stearns Eliot was born in 1888 and passed away in 1965. His work is admired and cited often, and serious poets often look to his work for his literary correctness. He published several collections and I procured his copy of The Waste Land and Other Poems at a used book-store. Don’t you just love the hidden treasures found in used book-stores? The majority of the poems in this book are long poems and therefore I will feature a shorter excerpt of one I found in this collection. If you are thirsty for more, the Poetry Foundation has a collection of his poems so please click the link on the right and type in his name.

Virginia

Red river, red river
Slow flow heat is silence
No will is still as a river
Still.
......
White trees, wait, wait,
Delay, decay. Living, living,
Never moving. Ever moving
Iron thoughts came with me
And go with me:
Red river, river, river.

Thank you for dropping in, please stop by for links to more poems on the web…

Slope Site

Slope publishes poetry and criticism, and while it is not currently accepting submissions, you can check out the poems and be on the look-out for open submissions in the future. There is also a feature for American Sign Language. Definitely an intriguing site, especially since the moment you enter the page there is awesome music playing so be sure to turn your speakers up. Don’t worry, if you click on a poet or another page to look at, the music stops. This way you won’t be distracted by reading the contents of the site. Check it out at:

http://www.slope.org/index.html

Thanks for dropping in, tomorrow will be another feature of a poet who has passed…

Justin Barrett, not for the faint of heart

This poet is not for the faint of heart or the easily offended. His poems can make you laugh, think, or even make you uncomfortable. He pushes the envelope. Below I have included a link to his personal site filled with poems so you can see for yourself what I’m talking about. In the meantime, I asked the crew at the Guerrilla Poetics Project if I could have permission to post a poem from his book The Magnificent Seven produced by 12 Gauge Press and they said yes! Just to let you know, the book is available for purchase for $5.00 at the Guerrilla Poetics Store and that is how I came by purchasing it for myself. I love the cover, it is a watercolor painting of a man holding a guitar with the title of the poem I am about to reveal to you as the painting’s title.
Here are some useful links to check Justin Barrett out:
http://www.guerillapoetics.org/store/

http://justinbarrett.com/justinbarrett_lt.html

And without further delay, here is one of my favorite poems from Justin Barrett’s book:

they say robert johnson sold his soul to the devil, but i’m convinced the devil sold his soul to robert Johnson

the memphis heat,
sweltering and
humid,
drips off him like condensation down
a bottle of beer as he waits
at the crossroads.

the devil walks
towards him from the
north.

“howdy son,” the
devil says.

“howdy to you,”
robert returns.

“i got something for you
if you got something for me,”
the devil says

and that’s how it went.

when it was over
robert johnson returned
able to play his guitar
like it was a woman;

alternately turning
it on and pissing
it off,
making it moan
and sigh,

groan and cry.

they say robert johnson sold his
soul to the devil
but i’m convinced the devil
sold his soul to
robert johnson.

and it was the only time
the devil lost a bet.


Now how about that? The ending is my favorite part because how often do you ever hear of the devil losing? This poem rocks and I dare you to read more of his work on the GPP broadsides archive and on his personal site. Give him a shout out at GPP if you like, his work is awesome.

Thanks for reading, please drop in tomorrow for another great poetry web-site.