8/18/12

Ping Pong

Mr. Wang (with broom) representing Ping, and Mr. Shan (sans broom) as Pong.


     8th century Chinese poet Han Shan had this to say about his predecessor, a certain Mr. Wang:

"Mr. Wang's degree says Flourishing Talent.
He loves to find fault with my poems.

He says I don't follow the regulations,
and don't use the right techniques.

He says I don't use the four tones correctly,
and just stick in words any which way.

I laugh at what he calls poetry: a blind man's
rhymes in lukewarm praise of the sun."

     to which Mr. Wang replied:

"Mr. Shan's degree says Master of Subversion.
He loves to find fault with my poems.

He says I don't follow his regulations,
and don't use the right techniques.

He says I don't use the four tones correctly,
and choose my words too carefully.

I laugh at what he calls poetry: a blind man's
rhymes in lukewarm praise of the sun."

8/3/12

Title This Blogpost Please

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"Anything your reader can do for himself leave to him."
     -Wittgenstein

     It was after reading this Wittgenstein quote that I wrote the following epic poem (published here in its entirety):