7.30.2007

flarf = word barf

Flarf is word barf. A glorified writing exercise, as if the world needed another
reason or method to perpetrate bad poems. (It’s no coincidence that ‘flarfing’ arose at the same time the ‘paradelle', Billy Collins’ pet form, had its day.) Has anything of lasting interest ever been created by an artist absent a compelling subject or profound emotion? Silence should be a satisfying alternative to the poet who hasn’t any reason to write.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thank you, thank you, thank you. Writing exercises have their place, but not as a school of poetry!

It's as ridiculous as maintaining that the future of poetry lies in the automatic and unpoetic. Not my poetry. Not this pig.

Jeff Newberry said...

Damn skippy.

Glenn Ingersoll said...

statistically nothing of "lasting" interest has been written, that which has lasted being such a small percentage of that which has been created as to be statistically meaningless

silence should always be a satisfying alternative