Earth-Prowler by Jack Cade
Wed, 2006-02-01 18:01
#1
Earth-Prowler by Jack Cade
Normally, self-conscious video game geekery in poems makes Baby Mario cry, but I really liked this. The repeition of thunder felt right. The actual premise is wonderfully original (and linked to the premise of the entire set, as I understand it).
The aside about the mechanics of Dig Dug will, I'm sure, jar with some people, but it worked for me. My favourite line was:
Beware! They can move through solid earth by turning into a pair of eyes!
I'd never really thought about how surreal retro video games are until you pointed that out.
Brooklands
http://www.abctales.com/story/jack-cade/earth-prowler
I loved this too.
Those who owned Dig Dug on the Commodore 64, raise your hands.
I love the way the ending takes a step into b-movie - what if computer games were real! - terror. I think Jon mentioned this in another thread. As a way of ending a poem...
The image of "mashed up fields. Pulped like a boxer's face" is so strong.
And the break in the middle, to explain the premise of Dig Dug, is strange and wonderful. It's not in the least bit necessary but it works, somehow.
Joe
Brooklands
http://www.abctales.com/story/jack-cade/the-newspapers-were-full-of-thes...
They came from a world
beyond all known time and space
where war is how they have sex.
I loved this poem too.
rokkitnite
I was just reading that too. 'where war is how they have sex' was my fave line, also. However, I thought the hugely stringent constraints of the form Jon set himself might have caught him by the balls, so to speak. Seemed just teetering on the wrong side of forced. Great title, though.
Brooklands
Mmm, perhaps you're right - what happens when you take the leash off this poem Jon?
Jack Cade
I dunno, Joe! It's meant to be intermingling newspaper headlines that go with the b-movie invasion.
Thanks for the comments, guys. Retro games are indeed surreal. Read the wikipedia entry for Pacman - it's amazing!