Friday, December 25, 2009
about me _ What Hocus - Pocus
[ ZG 1 ] about me [ a ] _What Hocus - Pocus ! _
_ my life in an american meme _ Since April 2008
_ Truth & Nothing but the Truth -
_ i have had negligible " personal " interaction with the esteemed writers at osi - - through e- mail or snail mail etc;.barring one or two instances where i have sought guidance on music, i have only responded politely to e-mails received .
my interaction with the writers exists on the respective blogs - it is open and public
i duly acknowledge the " act of kindness " done unto me by way of allowing me to post and link my writeups through ~ osi , for which i remain grateful.
i do not remember a single instance where i have sought to demean the writings or the state of physical body- condition _status- of any individual writer or any individual person , or alluded to that effect.
" ...the innumerable foibles and follies to be found in any civilized society, and from the common prejudices and deceitful practices which custom, ignorance, or self-interest have made usual "
_ goya ~ spanish artist )
Name - Gautama Mookherjea / Status : single
Pen name ~ zoya gautam
[ This is how i spelt my name for my 17 years of work as a Translator with The Indian Council of Agricultural Research. With the hope of following my dream i resigned from the service in 2000 AD ]
i have cataract in both eyes and a skin pigmentation condition called Vitiligo / Leukoderma ]
Date of Birth - 26-11-1959
i am not a " Liar " , i am not " Invisible " ( never was ) , i do not hide and i am not an " insomniac ". i work on the internet at night because for dial-up modem users in india that is when the net is free )
dear readers lets call this a Preface _ Merry Christmas ! / 25.12.2009
till then ,
..
PS: " Nishaan Chook Maaf - Neechu Nishano Maaf Nathi " - This saying in Gujarati ( a regional language from India ) means that one can be forgiven for missing the mark , but never for keeping the mark Low _ ie no forgiveness for not aiming High _
My family has always stood by my dreams , I couldn't ask for more .
/ Digressing a little bit ,hope it is not read as bragging , to share a small piece of family history as under -
Mr. Amitabh Bachchan is an acting Legend in India , and has ample recognition overseas .
His wife Jaya Bhaduri's parents - The Late Shri T.C. Bhaduri & Smt. Indira Bhaduri are residents of my hometown Bhopal ( more about that later ). Mrs. Indira Bhaduri and my mother Mrs. P. Mukerjee can best be described as ' pals ' and friends .My parents and Jaya ji's parents have shared the Bengali Amateur Theatre Stage since 1951. / Shri T.C.Bhaduri's
credentials in Bengali Literature refer to his well-known work Abhishapta - Chambal /
All this blah blah only to say that people in the Arts do not discourage dreams.Hope no one does .
~ _ ~ _
[ ZG-2 ]
Making snide remarks ,spewing disparagement , condemnation - against somebody - anybody , that one has never met in life , talked to for two minutes _ Poet , Writer or Otherwise - Should I be doing that ? I would not be I.
It is not my job to abuse - my pursuit is ~ poetry
Boy , I. am dealing with American Intelligentsia / Academia here ( what with doctors & professors on the illustrious list ) - or a certain cross-section thereof , so my ruminations can easily be a testament to the Literary, Anthropological / Social or Psychological Aspects - Realities of such ' Creative Minds '.
We are talking here of ' Poetry ' Memes - Memes where Basho and Mary Oliver are cited as examples _
Where every stab and sting , innuendo and denigrating allusion made towards anybody is open to anyone's understanding . I don't think Fir, Frost or Dickinson could do that .Did not need to. And yes , I have no antipathy towards poetry & poets , or anyone else .
All said and done , there can be ' instances ' in such Memes which cause me to speak as under -..
poetic verses
one writer stabs another
conflict of interest
attack the writing
that is understandable
" work of the poet " ~ zg
( Ref: ' no regret ' / Haiku Bones - Prompt 3 )
[ ' Work of the Poet ' a Blogspot Blog . by_ Mary T - The Teach ]
It is easy to degenerate into an apocryphal writer by indulging in that which is " dehumanizing "..
insinuations
unfold the innuendos
' creative writing ' ( Ref : ' no regret ' / Haiku Bones - Prompt 3 )
Employing epithets like ' parasite ' , ' insect ' etc etc to abusively allude is not an artistic craft . Any writer with average imagination should be able to do that .To my mind that is neither 'excellent ' nor ' brilliant '. But not everybdy is in the business of diminishment. Not everybody can be .
If " poets ". do this in a poetry - meme - God Bless Them - -
till then ,
~ _ ~ _
contd . .
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
..gotcha babble!
Sr. No.1-
.. Cannot choose the withdrawn , reticent reclusiveness of the eternal poets
' gotcha babble! '
~ poetry converts personal impressions, the entire spectrum of emotions into
universal appeal _ if it smacks of ' personal ' bias , angers , hurts , highs and lows , _
it degenerates into personalized graffiti and ceases to be poetry ~ in short it is the trick of translating the personal into the universal - -
..........................
Sr. No.2-
addendum 1-sep17 ‘08(ref cmnts ‘face’.osi.gt)
..poetry [or painting] are processes that seek to understand the beautifully sublime and the macabre ugly~realities-of existence_
and objectively bring forward the universal (spiritual-scientific-artistic) truths of life.. addressing the subject-idea or the theme
in a manner that answers the basic questions ‘what is poetry for’/’what is poetry about’..
/osi “seeds’ sep14 ‘08-cmnts ntg-“a poem is not about its’ writer” -agree-(not always)-else ,would be hard to write poems ‘bout aids,tb or space odysseys..
......................................
Sr. No.3-
how u say it ~
{ref:osi-a summer’s day}
..imagine a landscape in a foggy dusk or a dawn- a loitering star somewhere behind the branches of a tree-viewed from afar how easy or difficult would it be to decide whether the objects aforementioned are happy or unhappy ?_
-to borrow ur own words “Such is the nature of truth and perhaps even of beauty”..(cmnt-zg_sandy carlson)
..”The more opaque and obtuse the wording, the more latitude for interpretation”. .[cmnt-the texican_sandy carlson]-jan12.2009
Sr. No.4
fading memories (osi prompt 47)
’the carousel principle’ ~”_that is the fun~of ‘the law of the carousel’{original!}-finding something new to cherish in every repeated circle/cycle_”[cmnt zg@sandy carlson]
~..behind thick lenses
old eyes furiously blink
at ice-cream brand names..[cmnt zg@kitehorse]
Sr. No.5
words : ~~
..the roof of memory upon us,_every breath a brick-each blink a brush stroke of color-with flesh,blood & bones_crafting a moment of existence [ref:cmnts:zg@me n my cam.osi.prmpt 48]
Sr. No.6
time & context~
....time as an absolute or an independent component is an empty entity_
the if only~s of space qualify it_
ie to say that the same moment on planet earth at darfur and paris mean two different things_the emptiness of time needs to be filled with the content of a subject or a context so as to acquire meaning..[ref:cmnt:zg@quietpaths:prmpt 48.osi-if only i had time]
Sr. No.7
poetry & erotica~ (osi.prmpt 48 (if only i had time)
my comment on -‘How can a coin have only one side?’ by beth patterson .osi.prompt 48-
1.based on the manner of usage and context the employment of the word ‘orgasm’ in ur poem is
neither erotica nor pornography as i see it.[the lines between physicality,erotica and pornography are however sometimes very blurred ]
2.this does not at all mean that i intend raising ‘ethical’ or ‘moral’ issues here as a victorian prude steeped in orthodoxy, engaging in the archaeology of ‘sin’,while delving in ‘puritanism’.
3 i don’t intend to be judgemental of other people’s creativity.my concern is poetry & poetry alone as i attempt to understand it in the context of societies,religions,history,cultures or civilizations.
4.i acknowledge & appreciate the “talent” of the poets/writers who produce “erotic literature”
but in my own writings/scribblings i wish to stop short of the same.for i sincerely believe that if one cannot do it with ‘sensuality’ whatever rush of blood is created with xxx vocabularies is not necessarily a literary accomplishment.titillation and passion are two different things.so are nudity and unclothedness or ‘the state of being unclad’.privacy is not necessarily concealment and making everything public is not necessarily honesty.
5. i also subscribe to the view that it is not mandatory upon poetry to be ‘autobiographical’.the greatest war poem need not be penned by a soldier or the best classical piece describing satan need not be the work of a satanic person/poet.similarly the ugly is not barred from writing about beauty.literary works describing prostitutes have not always been written by those who practiced the profession.#
6.and now they are after kafka.some porno material has been unearthed from his possessions.and they are saying he was not so saintly after all..the ‘writing’ would now be viewed in a different light.
7.from “a deity to make love with” to “atheism”the lord.is ever present -as scripted in the vedas-he can’t let me down by not bowing to someone else’s God ‘to the brahma in every entity~
8. & therefore “A little Zen, a little Tantra” & “the nature of creation/existence and the sacredness of time” of this poem appeals to me & i bow to the brahma in everything , for my god bows to your God ..& is never belittled in the process..
{with apologies for a comment that never seemed to end.)
- [& with ref to dr. patterson’s earlier remark on my blog to “tell us more” ]
//Check out ! here! It’s really cool!~ the VTH - -
addendum-#[and i totally accept that prostitutes are as human as anyone else]
Sr. No.8
/subject-matter/ (feb13.2009)
..one need not climb mountains to find poetry..
it can be found in the mint,in the clock or in a kettle steaming..
Sr. No.9
poetry & PLAGIARISM~
(a poem on the osi prompt “spectral’-prmpt. 51- by Amias~[the SPECTRAL triplets ]
are a useful read on plagiarism-ie apart from their inherent poetic content) her copyright disclaimer quoted below is also relevant-
”© Copyrighted 2008 by Amias. I can’t copyright words, but I can copyright how I conjoined them, whether they are in poetry, prose, story, or article formats. All rights reserved both national and international.”
-so while i feel free to steal words like -tergiversation-detritus-(fibrillation-is in the pipeline),
i ain’t too sure ‘bout robbin’ thoughts & ideas-..
Sr. No.10
twaicoo -coo twice for twaicoo
~another (on going-april.09) experiment with the ‘haiku/senryu/haiga etc’ forms- could be naisaiku
an example i am trying to work out with (to be named & classified later ) could be-
’carousel’
”cannot figure out
who’s ahead n who’s behind
on the carousel
the cops and the robbers play
a cat n mouse game” /original/z.g.©
[a common central theme ( on the carousel ) - with two different /opposite perspectives
- the last line may or may not echo the first-:5-7-5-7-5 syllables/]
Christened~ twaicoo /april 08.2009-wednesday
Addendum -
[ NOTE:-Disclaimer/{IRO Post dated Tuesday, April 15, 2008 gotcha babble! on this Blog}
- _ To the best of my knowledge and belief the Term “ Twaicoo “ ( devised by zoya gautam ) -noun for a poetic form as described herein above was never in use prior to april 08.2009-wednesday for the purpose(s) of defining / describing or employing the said poetic form mentioned herein or for any other poetic form, of any nationality‘~
The use of the term “ Twaicoo” for purposes other than this poetic form should not be confused
as being the same,and could tantamount to being misleading
Till april 08.2009-wednesday The Google Search For ‘ twaicoo ‘ yielded Nil /. No Matches Found.
as well as @ © 2009 Yahoo! / Search stated that -We did not find results for: twaicoo.-.zg / Tuesday May 05.2009]
The Disclaimer has also been posted here.Clickthisto view it.
Sr. No.11
poetry/poetics/ amnesia _ osi.prompt - 65 : denouement / ref: my cmnt @ jeeves
The happy part of life is that the truth remains
the truth -
amnesia or editing - that truth is not changeable _ ( some call it history ) _
of nations & humanity -
ethics, morality, justice ? & ~ war & the war heroes _ we proudly & fondly remember the departed
on memorial days
or those that left us on 9/11 or other disasters _
somebody out there scripts ‘ his ‘ denouement ~
the believers have a name for him - i believe in the glory of that ~
denouement
_” The (larger ) sequence of relationship (s ) “ _ on the planet’ earth ‘ looks forward to and
hopes for an honest , clear motived , clean hearted resolution and unravelling of ~ the human story ..
[ ofcourse the school bully always has a selective memory when the ‘denouement ‘ is -
unfavourable which makes me wonder if god has amnesia too ] ..
[cmnt posted @ jeeves-June 2, 2009 12:25 AM ]
Sr. No.12
EXPRESSION
( August 11 Tuesday 2009 )
.. the question remains with me _ what is poetry about _
& sometimes i get a peek into the thoughts of writers & artists
where the answers reside _ one such answer is as under -
” and the sky fell off on either side
mixed with sea and city “ .. sgreerpitt
that is poetry about ! ~ ,
but you can’t take the ocean away from the girl.
Looking back at the poems of my youth spent on thepeninsula, the vast majority invoked the ocean in some form “
_ artist, photographer,writer, & professor sue greer pitt has a family that includes 9 cats
.. u can check her blog out >
HERE !
.. STYLE :
. ' style ' is sometimes confused for peculiarity or oddity born out of a desire to be different - -
we all see the things that we do_ but , how we see them , determines _ ' style '
to my mind 'style ' is as much , if not more, internal as it is external _
" I have been trying to tune the sky "..
peep through her window > Here
to find out how vita stunder ( sweden ) says what she says ..
Sr. No.14
content~
..christina olson .. dragged herself to pick flowers from her garden to place them in the house..
she had a never-diagnosed muscular deterioration .. it left her lower body paralyzed ..
how does a narrative with a prosaic directness transform to a poem ..
what content in the blue eyes of a man reminds his neice of the tender blue of the sky
why does the plainness of a day and that of words makes one think of christina olson & her 1948 world ..
poetry or art are strange things .. they make one feel what happens to another ..
Check out > this
for a glance into ' christina's world ' .. in a painting by andrew wyeth and words by sandy carlson ..
Sr. No. 15 -
poetry seeks the truth ~[ Check out > here / the chat with Amias ]
1.without entering the complex hypothetical premises of sartre or russel , i agree that maggie has placed your expansive question of ' absolute truth ' in proper context.
entities that are changeable or transient have truths that may change accordingly.
2.infinity and god ,or perhaps even time ( whilst independent of space ) could possibly be absolute truths .
3. but ' truth ' in the context of ordinary lives subject to historical time spans, civilizations, cultures,societies,
nationhood or religion(s) is subject to relativity.the ' truths ' of the pentagon and the chinese politburo are likely to vary ..
4.that said my primitive mind approaches the flesh and bones aspect of your very valid question of ' absolute truths' and ' poor visibility ' like an ordinary commoner and poses more questions, in the quest of finding possible answers -- as under
A) : what is the difference between truth and information
B) in that sense what constitutes a ' lie ' -- not to speak of ' absolute lie(s) '
C) does being clothed tantamount to hiding from the ' truth ' or even 'absolute truth '
D) why are lies used or employed in the first place _ perhaps as a means of self -defence, as a tool to further self - interest ,as applicable in the fields of advertisement or war etc etc ..
E) that brings the issues of conscience, morality, values and ethics into play
F) : but are lies also used for the sake of causing harm or damage per se and without motive ,
i think that enters the realm of psychology and psychiatry
5. and finally i imagine your attitude of ' acceptance ' is a matter of policy, philosophy, spirituality, conditioning and orientation , and for me , personally , never easy ..( from my cmnt on ' poor- visibility ' - a poem by amias - dt sep 24.2009 thurs) ..
& Maggie said...
" I can hold an ice cube in my hand.
I feel the ice cube.
I see the ice cube.
Therefore, I could say the absolute truth is that I am holding an ice cube.
A little while passes and I am still holding what was an ice cube.
It is now dripping from my fingers and changed into liquid.
The absolute truth changed right there in my hand ... . "
- - { wasn't that poetic }
Sr. No. 16
poetry & love _
( sept 27 . 2009. sun )
in more ways than one poetry is like love ..
it just happens , you don't create it , but simply discover it !
like finding a frog or a turtle may be , possibly in your own backyard ..
this story > HERE- told by beth patterson is educational ..
( footnote : the native language of poetry is love .. one finds it transcribed / translated in the various phonetics, alphabets etc of the many tongues that now exist or used to .. if you choose to you might hear it in the song of a lonely frog ..)
Sr. No. 17
poetry & imagery
oct.06.2009.tues
( teaching is one of her many occupations )
/ when she finds the time /
patti constructs autumn with words -
demonstrates what is imagery & how it works ..
" - occasional crack of a tree limb
- a tinge of woodsmoke dotting the air -
- the sun spreading it's October gold -
- two lone beach chairs
left abandoned on the pier
- - as sentinels
guarding Summer's memories - "
Sr No. 18
poetry & economy
an artist / photographer
she understands the dots , lines , colors & dimensions
( clarifying the difference between digital art & digital manipulation )
her haiku are similar to miniatures where less is more --
sue turner plants a seed with her haiku , the tree grows on you as you look closer
pins the blueberry sky
Jupiter "
" frost rimed charms
piled beneath nude trees
fall's fractals "
find a romance of verbs & nouns in her haiku posted on her blog :-
> ~ Here ~
( image credits : sue turner / tumblewords / - from her post dt sep 29.2008 - )
Sr No.19
poetry- the dos & donts
like cooking or gymnastics every process has its own dos and donts
linked > / Here / are two examples of a writeup_
with the same title _ more or less the same thoughts __ almost the same words --
not saying , see what great stuff i've written _
all i am saying is --
understanding and rewriting could make a difference ..
Sr No. 20
poetry _ ( responds )
Newton's first law of motion - - ~ law of inertia
" every object / body continues to remain in its state of rest or of uniform rectilinear motion unless acted upon by an external force " - -
" How to react?
shock...
disbelief...
anger...
regret...
sadness... "
( Posted by Patti at...
http://creativecottagedreamer.blogspot.com/2009/10/hey-soul-sister.html ]
( or as JP/deb says in her cmnt @ ' sweetest in the gale's ' poem titled bittersweet / prompt 86- OSI _ Conquer ) ,
- " battle it by writing, dancing in the leaves, and finding beauty in winter's shades of gray "
that is how / why / where it begins _ the response to an external world of living & non living matter -
.. to the poetic voice , perhaps , even one's own mind is an ' external ' stimulus ..
_ but poetry is ' proactive ' too & at times sets off on its own -- like a river would --
Sr No. 21
.. i think of mary t _ the teach ( one of the writers at OSI / the american meme_where i volunteer to get ridiculed / ie to say , that is where i post , my ridiculous stuff )
i love to call her ' ma'm ' ~ why , because she is a teacher _ that is why _
.. if i remember correctly she runs a blog called " work of the poet " ( what a name ! )
- - in one of her blogs she talks of a novel she teaches in college _ the theme deals with how the ' pressure of acceptance ' can be ' dehumanizing ' ! ..
.. so i wonder if i am looking for ' acceptance ' & if so , at what cost ..
-- is not that a loss of my sensibilities _
certain belief- systems in the world are very sensitive _ they envision non-violence _ seeking to shun the violence of the body , the word & even of thought _
ie physical / mental & emotional non - violence !
_ this line of thought is perceptible in Jain , Buddhistic or Zen philosophies ..
.. read of .. ' Buddhist sensibility ' on the profile of writer ' poetikat ' ( Kat Mortensen )
that helped me appreciate her fine poem for the OSI Prompt 86 _ Conquer ..
posted at _ http://hyggedigter.blogspot.com/2009/10/osi-conquer.html
throwing light on a poet's craft and poetic content and ofcourse _
sensibilities & the ' work of the poet ' ..
[ october.23. fri .2009 ]
Serial No. 22
poetry_ the Writing Process & ' Invisibility '
, A Study of The Thought-Process of any writer or poet is of relevance For Research Purposes _
Participation in an American Meme on Poetry called ' One Single Impression ' leads me towards an attempt at understanding the Process of Writing { Poetry }
And the Responses of The Writers to the Creative Works of other Writers is Insightful.
I write under the Pen-name Zoya [ gautam being my actual name ].That does not mean that i am trying to ' hide ' or remain ' invisible '_ in an Age of Connectivity & IT , thankfully , nothing is.
Since joining OSI in April 2008 - -
Many a times i have found the notion of ' Hiding ' & ' Invisibility ' being raised in the Comments or the Writings at the Weekly Prompts. It aids Comprehension and i am happy for it
Like any other ordinary Japanese or American Citizen i live above the ground , in a free City , in a free Country and in a Human Society , ' Hiding ' from nobody.To my mind non- disclosure of personal bio-data in the hope that the reader responds to the ' writing ' rather than the ' writer ' does not tantamount to Concealment.
Click :>_ HERE /
if u must , to find , ( in the footnote of the poem ), more boring trivia about me / but i recommend u skip it ..
Behavioral-psychology , Culture _ & a writer's mindset _ can all be found in a 'Community of Poets ' as OSI describes itself _ and in that sense these Notes can be useful Research Material _
[ Friday . Nov .13.2009]
Serial No. 23
poetry_ meaning connotation & Interpretation
The term afro-american features in a post titled 'Shift in Time ' by writer Amias
The following Excerpts from my Comments on the said post demonstrate the manner in which i used it .
.. " afro-american mindsets are a goldmine of psychology ..
they can make humor & wit and tragedy laugh with each other ..
( that's a generalisation ) " - - - -
- - " In Literature , or in the realms of Academia , The Media or Celluloid , i have understood the phrase 'afro-american ' to denote artistic / creative works in English , not produced by native African writers " - -
In her rejoinder to my Comment Amias reveals the sad connotation of the same phrase as under -
" Words like, "mindsets" & "generalization", used with the word "afro-americian", " humor / wit ", used in the context in which I thought you used it, evoked a "painted on black face", and being who I am and living here in America --- well they are used like bullets; and my life is riddled with these type of bullets - - "
Words , Phrases and Idioms have a History and Culture of their own.
Many words seem quite innocuous but might well carry a different connotation.
The relevant post by my friend Amias is linked : >_ HERE. It outlines my Conduct at OSI ,as i see it ,and the responsibility it brings to bear upon me and in that sense it is an Important Post .
[ Friday . Nov .13.2009]
Sr. No. 24
poetry & Construction
Call it 'Reconstruction ' - ' Reassembly ' 'Recycling ' _ 'Rehashing ' _ or ? - -
what i really do is_
steal from the rubble & debris , trash & junk of life _ [ & from that which precedes it .].
Reincarnation ? well , you could also call my scribblings that !
i found an apt description of my patchwork of ' words ? ' in Dr. Beth Patterson's Offering for the OSI Prompt - 90 , " Reincarnation " [ Linked_ HERE / ]
_ " making art of of found pieces of what is otherwise described
as junk.
A little of dis
a little of dat
Some glue, glitter, screws and fine wire.
Voila." _ Dr. Beth Patterson
[ Sun.Nov 15.2009 ]
Sr. No. 25
It had to come _ the hocus-pocus about me . It is /_
>_ HERE /
[ continued.. ]