We should wear our knowledge lightly,
(in fact it's a loden coat).
We should bear the brickbats brightly,
(as bile is filling our throat).
We should scatter insults sparsely,
(since they reach the paper first).
We should judge our work more harshly,
(though ours is not the worst).
We should post our efforts shyly,
(while inwardly we boast).
We should take our bouquets wryly,
(our smile no timid ghost).
We should sympathise completely,
(and savour our vicious gloat).
We should offer advice discreetly,
(while stealing work of note).
The Egos Have Landed
Published by Ewan on November 13, 2008 - 09:08
from the ABC set
from the ABC set
Comments
jennifer | November 13, 2008 - 10:59
Schizophrenic?
Very funny, and excellent rhyming, love the italicised 'not' - how do you make words italicised on here?
J x
Ewan | November 13, 2008 - 11:11
Schizophrenic? Us?
jennifer | November 13, 2008 - 11:15
Haha! Thank you, must try it! Can't imagine the whole site italicised! We'd all get cricks in our necks with all the head tilting that would ensue!
Ewan | November 13, 2008 - 11:18
Your word between
"<" followed by em and ">"
and then the same with a slash / before the "em"
"" ignoring the quotation marks, which are just to make sure I don't italicize the whole bloody site, like I did last time!
:-)
littleditty | November 13, 2008 - 12:21
we could - interesting poem Ewan!
FTSE100 | November 13, 2008 - 13:32
Ewan, methinks you make big mistakes in your assumptions about what writing should be. If you write just what you feel, it can often look deep any mysterious to others simply because they aren't you! If I were teaching a CW course, I'd have my students write a poem in five minutes at the start of each lesson. No literary references allowed, marks deducted for anything contrived, just write whatever is on your mind at the time.
Mind you, since I'm never likely to teach a CW course, I can say whatever I like. I'd have them sacrifice a goat once a week and eat nothing but tuna fish sandwiches. That's the route to success!
(Or the gradus ad Parnassum.)
Bradene | November 13, 2008 - 13:44
FT when I read this I thought Ewan had been reading the current thread on copyright in the forums :) so perhaps it was his spontaneous reaction and not so contrived as you imagine. :) Val
FTSE100 | November 13, 2008 - 14:22
You could well be right, Val. My comment wasn't about this piece in particular but about a recurring theme that runs through a lot of Ewan's work. I've been saving the comment for a while since I run the risk of offending, but I think Ewan will know what I mean and will realise there's no malice in it, nor even criticism. I hope so, anyway!
Ewan | November 13, 2008 - 14:36
"I'd have my students write a poem in five minutes at the start of each lesson."
Naturally, at a day school on a CW course last year we did exactly this.
The truth is I am really ambivalent about writing; is it nonsense? Is it dressing-up for introverts? Should I feal jealous at others' success? Should I accept that my work is less than perfect? Should I defend it like a dog defends a ratty bone? One thing I felt about FTSE's response to this piece is confusion, is he accusing me of self-absorbed emotional outpourings or over-contrivance? Or both? Now that would be schizophrenic.
FTSE100 | November 13, 2008 - 14:48
Ewan, I have to go out very soon, so no time to make a proper response right now. Watch this space...
btw, I'm not 'accusing' you of anything. I was hoping... well, it doesn't matter what I was hoping! I'll speak again later. :-)
littleditty | November 13, 2008 - 16:13
ambivalence doesnt care so much about what one should or should not do - perhaps the alter ego does, the emotions discussed in the poem are human ones, the poor likkle id ones we all have, called ugly - the poem's title seems to be between the lines, where choice and decision is too, as to what one could do, or is able to chose to do - re spontaneous or crafted writing, criting, posting, living whot-evah! hm. interesting poem!