Dearest Nada,
Please don't read this unless you feel compelled. Press “Delete” now.
You're a mover and a shaker in a poetry world and you obviously believe I'm an idiot and a schmuck and a nothing.
If you feel this way, that's sad. If you feel this way, that's funny.
But . . . Puh-lees, Nada.
First, I'd like to qualify that I've been drinkin' bourbon for most of the night (e.g. the Sauce in Frank).
Funny, though, my wife said, "why are you such an asshole" when I was sharing your missives with her.
Even funnier . . . she's a cop.
Also, I was going to write a bit on Beckett's birthday, but I'm doing this instead. That saddens me, yet it also inspires me.
As an additional qualifier: I'm just a passionate poet and as a passionate poet, I'm mad about words.
And somehow, you think, I'm an authority, for I cannot police without authority. As you already know, I am not an authority.
However, I didn't know who you were part of the Flarf brigade until I googled you. Hell, I didn't even know what flarf was. I mean, I've seen the term around, but it really didn't interest me much.
However, you got a mention in Berstein's blog with your book, “Floppy” or “Fluffy” or “Folly”. Yeah, “Folly,” that's it. Congrats! Promotion on that level is important in the career of a poet.
As you may not know or could surmise, I could give a flyin' fuck.
You state that you were in the Bay Area in the 80's and the term “torque” was used a ton by the people you were hangin' out with. Guess you were a real poetry hipster, eh? So had you heard of or read “The New Sentence” during that period? Granted, I didn't read it until the mid-90's. I was over in Europe getting drunk most nights in the mid-to-late 80's and doing the Army thing. Also, “The New Sentence” was printed in the 70's and few places other then the Bay Area had even heard of those language poet folks until the late mid-to-late 80's.
You see? Etymology, I believe, is important, even in non-sense and frivolity. As a poet, shouldn't you believe this? Also, aren't you ashamed to be using a word that you used in the 80's? I mean, you're old enough to know better, aren't you? What the fuck does 'torque' mean to you, anyway?
Back to Frank Sauce “policing” your word usage:
Just so you know (granted you can look it up your self, but I thought I'd make it easy for you):
po·lice /pəˈlis/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled
Pronunciation[puh-lees] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation noun, verb, -liced, -lic·ing.
–noun 1. Also called police force. an organized civil force for maintaining order, preventing and detecting crime, and enforcing the laws.
2. (used with a plural verb) members of such a force: Several police are patrolling the neighborhood.
3. the regulation and control of a community, esp. for the maintenance of public order, safety, health, morals, etc.
4. the department of the government concerned with this, esp. with the maintenance of order.
5. any body of people officially maintained or employed to keep order, enforce regulations, etc.
6. people who seek to regulate a specified activity, practice, etc.: the language police.
7. Military. (in the U.S. Army) a. the cleaning and keeping clean of a camp, post, station, etc.
b. the condition of a camp, post, station, etc., with reference to cleanliness.
–verb (used with object)
8. to regulate, control, or keep in order by or as if by means of police.
9. Military. to clean and keep clean (a camp, post, etc.)
Interesting: "the language police." In order for me to be a part of the “language police,” someone would have to give me authority and/or I would have to have the desire to control language, which is a ridiculous notion. This hasn't happened nor will it happen, so there's no way that I could possibly be “policing” your word usage.
However, your blog is a public place and you've chosen to police your comments section (hopefully that's against spam and not people who "dump" on your blog or would like to interact with you and your world/words/ideas/achievements/et al).
Also, "Frank Sauce-A Courtship of Memories, Like Dreams" is a bloem, not a blog
Thirdly to lastly, I'm tired and need to get some sleep.
Hope you're well. Enjoyed the reading I found of you reading with someone else (something to do with Flarf).
Lastly, I hope that you believe each word is utterly important and needs to be perfect in its placement. I'll read “Folly” when I get a chance and let it be a testament to how important you believe each word and sound within the word to be.
Take care and hope you and yours are well,
Frank Sauce
Nada
http://www.myspace.com/137644243
Date:
Apr 13, 2007 7:28 PM
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Subject:
RE: RE: You are rude
Body:
I was in the Bay Area in the 80s. I didn't just pull the word out of Ron's book -- it was a word very much in use at the time I was first learning about poetry over twenty years ago, and a word that made sense to me in terms of how I wanted to think about poetry. It still makes sense to me. If we were to purify our usage of all derived terms, we would be rendered speechless. Anyway, I don't appreciate your policing my language. You have the right to grumpily sound off on anything you like on your blog, but don't be dumping on me. Nada ----------------- Original Message ----------------- From: Frank Sauce Date: Apr 13, 2007 9:02 AM Oh, come now, Nada Of course, you can use whatever term/word you want. However, if in poetry you use the term "torque," it refers to Silliman's idea of torque presented in his book "The New Sentence." However, the word is becoming cliche/used up/losing meaning because of it's over use. Kind of like the phrase "For whom the bell tolls,' and most people don't even know that it's from a John Donne sermon. Anyway, thanks for writing me. It was very nice of you. Take care, FS ----------------- Original Message ----------------- From: Nada Date: Apr 13, 2007 4:51 AM I can use whatever term I want -- no word is owned by Silliman. And I don't need to answer to your brusque directives.