17 Comments
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Tommy Swerdlow's avatar

I love that you are giving David so much play, and he would love it even more! He was a force- A giant Jew bear of a man with an extremely imposing physical presence-- Big hair, big gut, big everything. A poet-ogre with a fierce snarl to cover up his absurdly tender heart. He was a true outsider and believer in the poetic cause but I don't he would have minded a little of literary success and bit money in his pocket. But we can keep that on the down low.

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Kallol Mazumdar's avatar

https://kallolpoetry.substack.com/p/the-feet-lift-themselves-and-the?sd=pf

A poetic utopian saga of everything that exists, for it exists and remains.. A dance poem of how dancing led to a united aura of world release while the brave attained enlightenment.

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Dian Parker's avatar

life seems easy for a second

in the glow of

someone else's suffering

Great poem! Savage, relentless, true.

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Yuri Zavorotny's avatar

That's true. Not the whole truth, perhaps. But simply put, artists do sell their suffering to entertain the fake people, to make them feel real... in one way or the other.

Only it doesn't make them any more real. So nothing changes.

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Nishi's avatar

"Literature is strewn with the wreckage of men who have minded beyond reason the opinion of others." - Virginia Woolf

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Peter Borkowicz's avatar

I believe the Artaud quote says « actor » not artist. But hey! artist works too...

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drewzmuze's avatar

🙏🏽✨️

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Deborah Brasket's avatar

To finish: but there's beauty in the world and in (some) poetry too, and I think he knew that as well. Perhaps what all poets seek, that light in the darkness.

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Deborah Brasket's avatar

He's writing eloquently from a despondent place. We've all been there. But therr

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Coco's avatar

Poignant and harsh! I respect your viewpoint but I’m for the artist! (And for a more compassionate God, BTW.)

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Poetic Outlaws's avatar

Lerner was definitely for the artist too which is why he wrote this poem. He noticed a lot of artists merely "create" to appease, or to maintain careers, or to be liked. They weren't creating dangerously and profoundly like the great artists of the past. This was an ode to revive the soul of the artist, not diminish them.

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Kallol Mazumdar's avatar

https://kallolpoetry.substack.com/p/the-feet-lift-themselves-and-the?sd=pf

A poetic utopian saga of everything that exists, for it exists and remains.. A dance poem of how dancing led to a united aura of world release while the brave attained enlightenment.

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Patris's avatar

Create and walk away.

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Oganga Mangiti's avatar

This is such a beautiful and profound piece!

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Kallol Mazumdar's avatar

https://kallolpoetry.substack.com/p/the-feet-lift-themselves-and-the?sd=pf

A poetic utopian saga of everything that exists, for it exists and remains.. A dance poem of how dancing led to a united aura of world release while the brave attained enlightenment.

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May 8, 2023
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monsters and men's avatar

I agree with you. Actually in my opinion it is even better this way because you don’t write to put food on the table and so you are less dependent on people’s acceptance

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Kallol Mazumdar's avatar

https://kallolpoetry.substack.com/p/the-feet-lift-themselves-and-the?sd=pf

A poetic utopian saga of everything that exists, for it exists and remains.. A dance poem of how dancing led to a united aura of world release while the brave attained enlightenment.

Expand full comment