Even the most irregular and disordered existence,needs a set of guidelines to give it,if not,direction at least form. They abound in sacred text,poetry (if these two aren't the same thing) and cultural mores. Though,there had never been any scientific basis for them,until now. Medical science has now figure out the rules for a happy life and the Protestant Work Ethic,gets busted as the bullshit mythology,I always knew it was. Dr Ray Bennett,in his,'Underachievers Manifesto',gives the rules that gives idleness the respect it deserves. Remember Kids,this is science.
UNDERACHIEVER'S MANIFESTO
1) Lifes too short.
2) Control is an illusion.
3) Expectations lead to misery.
4) Great expectations lead to great misery.
5) Achievement creates expectations.
6) The law of diminishing returns applies everywhere.
7) Perfect is the enemy of good.
8) The tallest blade is sure to be cut.
9) Accomplishment is in the eye of the beholder.
10) Being alive,is your greatest accomplishment.
Two websites that would agree and are enthusiastic apostles of the Apathetic creed are http://www.theidler.co.uk/ and http://www.idlefoundation.com/
Poetry quote of the day,'Poetry is just evidence of life. If your life is burning well,poetry is just the ash' Leonard Cohen.
WRITTEN WHILE WAITING FOR THE KETTLE TO BOIL
The cigarette smoke
in my eyes,
doesn't stop me
from seeing the end of the line.
And the red wine
won't wash away
the newspaper headlines.
Epitaphs on a dead cultures tombstones.
The bankcard
in my wallet,
is only useful
for underlining words in books.
And the medical card
shows an address,
I've not lived at
in two years.
HOW TO LIVE YOUR LIFE? DO NOTHING
A LONG TIME GONE
It's been a long time since,I've had anything to post. To call poetry a 'Dark Mistress',may be a cliche,but she's certainly an inconsistent/tempremental one. Sometimes the poet might as well hold his penis as his pen,for all the good it will do him. The prose is doing fine,maybe it's sucking the poetry out of me?
Has it run out? Will it come back? have I been rejected from working on short stories and the novels? Am I being fanciful,treating it as a human being with feelings? Isn't poetry like all art about feelings?
Poet quote of the day' He who would not be frustrate of his desire to write a great poem,should first of all BE a poem'John Keats
I need my misanthropy with a punchline as well as a point. No one does it better than Doug Stanhope,so go to www.dougstanhope.com, for an intro to the master.
REQUEST TO A POET
Poet,
don't give me your poems.
They're no good to me.
I want your rage,
your anger,
you're desperate foolish love.
Can I hear your sigh,
your laughter;
your warm breath on the back of my neck?
Will I be able to follow,
your tracks on a distant shore,
as you stumble through the Hall of Mirrors?
Do others speak your name,
do their snarl when it's spoken.
Will I hear of you before we meet?
Is the paper stained with blood,
greasy with sweat?
The ink runs,watered by tears.
NO?
Poet,
keep your poems.
You're no good to me!
