-ticked-

[jateshi]

I have written poetry for years and I feel I write broken verse very well. I, long ago, posted a lot of my poetry at Fiction Press (my account there) and let me state this blankly - I think there's *maybe* two happy poems in the lot of what, thirty plus? Now, the poem that people seem to read since I posted it in *2001* is Death is Life which deals with cutting.


I posted this poem during a bad chapter of my life, when I was still occasionally teetering around an abyss of one sort or another. WHY THE HELL DO YOU ENJOY READING SOMETHING SO FUCKING DEPRESSING!?!?!?!?! What is *good* about a poem that offers no salvation, and as one reviewer said 'the poem made the air feel black'? Am I supposed to take that as a compliment or something?

Why do they offer nothing except 'i know how u feel' and 'Nice job! (from a fellow cutter)' and think that their comments, adding my sick poetry to their favories list, is in any way showing something positive???? I haven't posted anything new to FictionPress because of people like this, who try to read into a poem I wrote something that never was there.

Um...how the hell do you deduce I'm Wiccan? Because I had the unnamed *girl* who the poem is about say 'It is done, so mote it be'? Jeesh! WOW that's a lot to read into something I had a character say - WHAT THE HELL???? WHAT THE FUCKING HELL???? Why do you want me to keep writing this drivel? Why don't you take a look at my other stuff, my NOT FUCKING DEPRESSING stuff, and tell me to keep writing that - why do you want me to write something that sticks *anyone* who *reads* it into a dark mood?

How the fuck is that supposed to make me feel????

Summary: Read something worthwhile, not my semi-depressed crap that seems to only fucking encourage people instead of try and get out my own emotions. Fuck, this pisses me off. I'd yank the poetry off but I'm worried about all the people who've commented on it.

Comments

Well, my guess is...

[callisto-chan.livejournal.com]

I think I can (somewhat) explain the whole "read into a poem [I wrote] something that never was there." In English class we're always picking apart poems and looking for meaning in them, even if at first glance, meaning doesn't seem to be there. The people reviewing probably (but don't take my word for this; this is just a theory) think that all poetry has a hidden meaning, and they try to decipher it.

Heck, I could write a poem about making myself a sandwich for lunch and they might try to find a nonexistant meaning in it.

And as for the reviews (which I read) well -- if you think about it, there are rather dark poems and stories out there that are considered masterpieces. (Edgar Allen Poe's "The Raven" is what first comes to mind for me). People have developed an appreciation for these sorts of works, and so my guess is, they're trying to find an appreciation (or, for the people who said they were cutters, something to relate to) for the poem.

I realize I've probably rambled too much. I just thought you might like to hear my little theory. ^^;;

Something else to consider...

[(Anonymous)]

It's still considered taboo in much of society to explore the more negative side of life, whether that be suicide, murder, sadism, or just dark, depressing, sad feelings. Society in general has this fear that people who have open minds and who aren't afraid to look at the bad things and express them must have something wrong with them. There is therefore an underlying current of "need"—the people who resist the taboo of society and indulge themselves in these topics—and many of them are perfectly normal people—have an interest in reading the work of others who seem to be like them in order to (among other things, I would guess) know that they aren't the only ones who feel that way, have felt that way, could feel that way, or are just not afraid to admit that shit happens.

Granted, the people who commented on your poem have their own reasons for doing so. And granted, none of them can really know why you wrote it, who you are, your circumstances, nothing. But really, to them, those things don't necessarily matter. It's what *they* get out of it for themselves that does, regardless of your original intentions of writing it. Although you may have written the poem without the reader in mind, they're going to look for meanings and messages in it anyway, just like they would by reading a novel, listening to a song, going bungee jumping. Why do people listen to heavy metal, or dress goth, or do whatever it is that they do? Because it touches them somehow, and that's important to them.

They shouldn't judge you via your poem, but neither should you judge them for reading it and being able to connect to it on some level. Ultimately, if you don't want comments on it, delete it. ^^

Shadowyng

[raithen-cain.livejournal.com]

Personally I think there are a lot of idiots out there that like to pretend they have issues to get more attention, since depression and mental issues are now glorified in this society, and therefore feed off of poets who write depressing things because they 1) can't write any of their own or 2) want reviews on their depressing shit as well.

*hugs leg* but you rawk. don't let them get you down.

[magdaleina.livejournal.com]

And kick me the next time I forget to sign out of my in character journal.