I'm slow on the responses these last few days Rebecca as I and my aides have
been busy on detective work, but now, as it's 1.40 in the morn here, and
that we are now (again now, but for the first time this) within a hair's
breath of the identity of the psycho-drug-dealer, who would cut me up, bleed
me, skin me, because of an incident begat of a dodo, and have also uncovered
stuff I wouldn't have imagined a week ago about local affairs in the
process, and too the ban on me at the Arts Centre is going to be discreetly
lifted, in that inimitable 'English' style which consists of behaving as if
it never happened in the first place and let's hope nobody notices, but now,
as I said before, but repeat for a first breathing space, a stop-gap just
gasped at, but now again, I feel much that can be said apropos your post, I
like it, I can feel the too much-again of the world coming on in all the
observations, the percepts, the sketches of individuals and actualities,
that crowd, throng, bustle, jostle to be let in, that that that (like
that?!) swamps articulation in its recursive generations of tales to tell,
that as that I am almost two hours into my year fifty-one, for it is my
birthday and my sentence is more than half-done, it is perhaps appropriate,
in lieu of future parentheses, that now I

pause and take breath.

All the Best

Dave

(all the above means is that I'll get back to you on this stuff anon, time,
memory and concentration permitting!)


----- Original Message -----
From: "Rebecca Seiferle" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Monday, February 06, 2006 10:03 PM
Subject: Re: Local Poetic Culture


> Ok, Dave, thanks for your posts, and on the actuality of the dodo man. And
I
> understand your point about local tastes running the show.
>
> But underneath my weird sense of humor was the sense that in a way you
were
> 'making up' the dodo man, not in his actuality, but as a target, since his
poem
> posted here shows him up and also he's not on the list to reply nor is
anyone
> here likely to argue for him. And I find that troublesome, the straw dummy
one
> can easily demolish in a likeminded, insulated environment, though you do
take
> care in your later posts to explain that you have no quarrel with him, and
have
> tried to be supportive of his work, by making suggestions. But it just
brings it
> back to the issue of the local tastes trying to throw you out of the pub,
and it
> sounds like the dodo man had nothing to do with it. . .
>
> Just my take on it; now I'm going back to work!
>
> best,
>
> Rebecca
>
>
> ---- Original message ----
> >Date: Mon, 6 Feb 2006 08:22:08 -0000
> >From: David Bircumshaw <[log in to unmask]>
> >Subject: Re: Local Poetic Culture
> >To: [log in to unmask]
> >
> >A few further discriminations, Rebecca:
> >
> >recently I wrote lauding a reading by people who'd survived the mental
> >health system, praising it for their courage to find some expression
despite
> >their lack of articulacy. Again I posted a poem a while back by a friend
of
> >mine who suffers from cerebral palsy and illness which, although it does
> >diminish her ability to conceptualise, does affect the language centre of
> >the brain and thereby the ability to put concepts into words. In both
> >instances, although the result is not 'poetry' it is something that is
> >humanly authentic and, in my book, worthy of support.
> >
> >But the balancing act in discrimination is to differentiate such from the
> >inanity of consumer culture in which poetry becomes rhyming doggerel
> >presided over by the Muse of Christmas cards.
> >
> >The work of the English poet Peter Reading is an interesting example of a
> >writer embattled in the clash of his aesthetic with the
anti-intellectualism
> >of popular culture: this puts some odd strains on his writing (for
example,
> >one critic has accused him of projecting a kind of right-wing agenda,
> >although the poet is most certainly not so)
> >
> >Best
> >
> >dave
> >
> >
> >----- Original Message -----
> >From: "Rebecca Seiferle" <[log in to unmask]>
> >To: <[log in to unmask]>
> >Sent: Monday, February 06, 2006 4:06 AM
> >Subject: Re: Local Poetic Culture
> >
> >
> >> Ok, Dave, call me a skeptic, but this is getting a bit far-fetched,
Dodo,
> >and all,
> >> maybe I've been on the internet too long but this being 'skinned'
sounds a
> >bit
> >> like playing the 'they're (could just as easily be 'he' or 'she', not
to
> >discriminate
> >> among pronouns) after me' to the hilt, and, well, does this K. Barry
> >_exist_? and
> >> what 'local' poetic culture? you mean this small village where they
like
> >to eats
> >> birds?
> >>
> >> Well, sorry, if I'm not taking this seriously enough. But I like dodos,
> >who says
> >> they're extinct?
> >>
> >> best,
> >>
> >> Rebecca
> >>
> >> ---- Original message ----
> >> >Date: Sun, 5 Feb 2006 23:45:34 -0000
> >> >From: David Bircumshaw <[log in to unmask]>
> >> >Subject: Local Poetic Culture
> >> >To: [log in to unmask]
> >> >
> >> >Slightly recovered here now, as matters have now risen to the level of
> >> >apparent death-threats to me, or at least being 'cut up' or 'bled' or
> >> >'skinned' by persons unknown. I might re-iterate that behind all this
was
> >my
> >> >lack of veneration for a local poet, who, I must add, was in now way
> >> >directly responsible for what developed, and is from all reports quite
> >> >appalled by it all, but my original crime, which has now been
compounded
> >> >from talking too loud without respect to ruining a drug-dealer's pitch
> >and
> >> >trade in our dear arts centre, hence the alleged threats (if real)
> >> >
> >> >but here's an example of the maestro's work, for not liking which
> >> >sufficiently I have been hit, threatened, insulted, barred, vilified
and
> >> >generally trod upon:
> >> >
> >> >The Dodo
> >> >
> >> >It's sad the dodo is extinct
> >> >when once the creature winked and blinked
> >> >and in a manner so succinct;
> >> >
> >> >on that far-off Mauritius isle
> >> >the sailors treated dodos vile -
> >> >were only out to make a pile
> >> >
> >> >they introduced domestic pets
> >> >and caught the dodo in their nets,
> >> >on its survival hedged their bets
> >> >
> >> >and, growing grossly overweight -
> >> >its diet got in such a state -
> >> >ship's crews ate dodos off a plate!
> >> >
> >> >With quaint physique it might have filled
> >> >the place of some bright bird that trilled
> >> >of slimmer, more athletic build
> >> >
> >> >but that was not to be the case -
> >> >odd beaks and feet, and funny face,
> >> >it's disappeared without a trace!
> >> >
> >> >from 'Building New Bridges'
> >> >
> >> >copyright K. Berry 2000.
> >> >
> >> >
> >> >best
> >> >
> >> >Dave