There have been an assortment of questions, either in the comment sections or behind the scenes.
I thought it was time to answer a few of them.
Q: Do these lovely words just pop into your head every time someone shows you a beautiful picture?
A: It sort of evolves. Phrases and couplets appear from nowhere in particular and, if appropriate, they grow into the final product. Some poems start with the final lines and work backwards.
Q: Do you ever sleep?
A: Yes, I sleep well, long and peacefully.
Q: Do I dream in rhyme?
A: No I don’t but sometime rhymes will stop me from sleeping. Writing them down helps.
Q: When did you first start writing poetry?
A: In the late 70s. I had a long lapse and then resumed in response to the appearance of Percy Bysshe Silly in the blog world. Lillie suggested I challenge this upstart. This resulted in a poetry challenge that is more or less described in the first XIX posts.
Q: Do you really prefer Pinot Noir?
A: No, but it has more rhyming partners than Shiraz. Probably Cabernet Merlot is my true wine of choice.
Q: Will you publish a book of your poems?
A: Maybe, one day. I was similarly encouraged to publish a book of my letters to Nigerian conmen. I subsequently self published it and sold a few online, via my Sweet Chilli Sauce site. The book is not presently available for sale on that site. None of the people who encouraged me to publish the book bought a copy. So I'm understandably wary but greatly flattered by the suggestion.
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Oh, I so look forward to diving into those letters!
ReplyDeletei remember the poetry challenge well ..
ReplyDeletei read your letters concerning white lillies, i believe, at your chilli sauce site .. they were charming .. :)
i actually drink more merlot and shiraz then i do beer, although i do enjoy a good beer .. but a nice merlot doesn't come with foam on top ..
Enjoyed learning more about you - thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteI read a few of your letters last week.. they, like your poetry, were splendid! :)
You forgot to address the issue of how excruciatingly boring you claim to be and how disappointed people are when they meet you! [your words...]I think you are mistaken. Your verses reveal a wit and wonderful appreciation for the magic of words which would in no way be diminished by meeting you. We have the advantage of knowing you, without knowing you.....
ReplyDeleteKnowing you without knowing you is aptly put. Like that inscrutible wine glass that is half-full... or so I assume. The letters are drole, but the poetry is like a diamond... tempered. Working backwards with rhymes and lines describes the process pretty well, but the publishing story caught me by surprise. I'd have an awful time selling myself. Is that a weakness of beige people, too?
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely.
ReplyDeleteI think you should publish a book of your poems, they are wonderful. ♥
ReplyDeleteYou should have had the Nigerians sell the book on themselves. It would have been so fitting.
ReplyDeleteI once set up a farce site called "Give Today - Online to the Great Divine" It lost a lot of it appeal when the real churches horned in and did the same thing.
Hi J Cosmo, you managed to reveal a bit more about yourself and still remain very mysterious. Good one. I wish I were mysterious. Mysterious is cool.
ReplyDelete