I think I am maybe a little too late for the Plath/Hughes discussion, not too bad, as I don't really know anything about them, but I thought this bit was lovely, especially for you artistic sinister types: Ted Hughes's Poetry in the Making It is better to call it an assembly of living parts moved by a single spirit. The living parts are the words, the images, the rhythms. The spirit is the life which inhabits them when they all work together. It is impossible to say which comes first, parts or spirit. But if any of the part are dead... if any of the words, or images or rhythms do not jump to life as you read them... then the creature is going to be maimed and the spirit sickly. So, as a poet, you have to make sure that all those parts over which you have control, the words and rhythms and images are alive. That is where the difficulties begin. Yet the rules, to begin with, are very simple. Words that live are those which we hear, like "click" or "chuckle", or which we see, like "freckled" or "veined", or which we taste, like "vinegar" or "sugar", or touch, like "prickle" or "oily", or smell, like "tar" or "onion". Words which belong directly to one of the five sense. Or words which act and seem to use their muscles, like "flick" or "balance". But immediately things become more difficult. "Click" not only gives you a sound, it gives you the notion of a sharp movement...such as your tongue makes in saying "click". It also gives you the feel of something light and brittle, like a snapping twig. Heavy things do not click, nor do soft bendable ones. In the same way, tar not only smells strongly. It is sticky to touch, with a particular thick and choking stickiness. Also it moves, when it is soft, like a black snake, and has a beautiful black gloss. So it is with most words. They belong to several of the senses at once, as if each one had eyes, ears and tongue, or ears and fingers and a body to move with. It is this little goblin in a word which is its life and its poetry, and it is this goblin which the poet has to have under control. Marybeth wrote: 2. Wouldn't it be fantasmic if a certain Mr. Murdoch rewrote The Beautiful South's "Song for Whoever" and changed all the names to his little muses? Lazy Jane, Photo Jenny, Judy and Lis(a) oh i forget your name........ I love the chorus of that song, but the way that song begins! Cringe. It sounds so adult ontemporary contorted-facial-expressions-on-the-piano, but maybe it's deliberate cheesiness. But I like the idea. Tom, Josh, Ben, Dan, Brad, Matthew, Ryan, Jason, Brook, Conrad, I wrote this song for YOU. We are doing a Poetry section in class now. I did a sonnet about shopping for my first bra with Grandma at the Sears in Michigan. There's something really tacky yet memorable about lingerie section in department stores. I think Stuart got it perfectly with one of my favourite B&S lines, 'start in lingerie, and Doris is your supervisor'. Nightmares of tan underpants that go up to one's chin...that's why I am so glad Sinister chose Red Underwear as the offical celebration colour. I think The Boy G and Erica should download 'No Means No' by Canadian popstar Ricky J. I can picture them dancing to it. The Peacock also wrote to the list, intercepted. I should slap you Peacock, but you might like that. Anyways, I'll try and persuade the 'pussy boys' but I'm not sure. I think they are mostly confused. So there is the picture of the two of you together, and clearly, that's THE PEACOCK. But is that Stuart David, shrouded in darkness? I should know my beloved's face, but..it's...all...so...hazy. Stuart David could be locked in your basement for all I know,Peacock. I wonder who's behind this evil Murdoch plot, getting everyone excited for a non-existant gig in hopes of causing rage towards fair, gentle Struan. CONSPIRACY!! I was excitedly hoping it was archenemy Alasdair Gray, prancing around in a tower with a feathered masque and cape while Struan is locked in a snow-globe, slender fingers pressed against the glass, but apparently Alasdair Gray is actually quite lovely. Maybe it's this Evil-Bob character? Love and Pearl Necklaces, Genevieve _________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com. +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+ +---+ Brought to you by the Sinister mailing list +---+ To send to the list mail sinister@missprint.org. To unsubscribe send "unsubscribe sinister" or "unsubscribe sinister-digest" to majordomo@missprint.org. WWW: http://www.missprint.org/sinister +-+ "sinsietr is a bit freaky" - stuart david, looper +-+ +-+ "legion of bedroom saddo devotees" "peculiarly deranged fanbase" +-+ +-+ "pasty-faced vegan geeks... and we LOST!" - NME April 2000 +-+ +-+ "frighteningly named Sinister List organisation" - NME May 2000 +-+ +-+ Nee, nee mun pish, chan pai dee kwa +-+ +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+