The inconsistency principle

Randomly generated card from the Oblique Strategies website: "The inconsistency principle"

Let the Kid Be

"Free-range parenting"--sounds good to me--reminds me of eating whatever I want...

Magnetic Transmission - Criterion for Poetry

In one of the introductory statements to the book of collaborative poetry Ralentir Travaux, Paul Éluard writes: "The poet is one who inspires rather than one who is inspired."

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Maybe an important criterion, at least for a poet judging another poet's work, is inspiration. I don't really like the word "inspiration." It suggests overly romantic notions of muses & divine intervention. But whatever the term, in a very literal sense what's important to me when I'm reading a poet's work is whether or not it makes me want to write poetry. That's how I judge a poem. Does it give me a charge? Does it get inside my head & loosen up the stiff, mundane language blocks? Does it give me a rhythmic ultimatum? Does it hijack my "voice" so that reading becomes a kind of seance? I hope so, I hope so, I hope so, and I hope so. It's an entirely subjective, selfish manner of judging poetry. I don't pretend otherwise.

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Plato's magnet metaphor in Ion is similar, but for Plato this magnetic power originates in the divine. Speaking to the rhapsode, Socrates says:

...some divine power is moving you, such as there is in that stone which Euripides called the Magnesian… This magnet attracts iron rings, and not only that, but puts the same power into the iron rings, so that they can do the same as the stone does; they attract other rings, so that sometimes there is a whole long string of these rings hanging together, and all depend for their power on that one stone.

I don't know that we can find the "one" original stone that holds all the rings together. Maybe poets are a just a loose circle of rings without an origin.

8 Week Old Martian Man

Teddy is a strong baby. He routinely breaks out of the tightest swaddle I can get him in. Last night I put him in the Miracle Blanket and when he woke up he had managed to free his left arm and both his legs.



He also loves to hold out his left fist. In fact, the other morning he fell asleep in his swing with his fist held out straight in the air. He's 8 weeks old today & he's already fighting the power. I love him!

Your Best Beach Body

I'm participating in a challenge organized by my friend & local poet Sarah Green. 10 poets are trying to write a poem a day for 100 days: Your Best Beach Body.

5th Place

Finished 5th in the crit today, out of approximately 25-30 riders. I also won a prime. It was a fun race, not quite as fast as the one I was in 2 weeks ago. Once again I blew my shot at winning but launching my sprint way too early. Had a lead until maybe 50 yards from the finish but I was burnt out by that point & 4 guys passed me. Still had a great time!

Racing this morning in the Wells Ave Crit. Wasn't sure it was going to happen this morning at 4AM when thunderstorms were rolling through. But it's quite nice right now. Can't wait!