From: marek@casbah.acns.nwu.edu (Marek Lugowski)
Subject: Re: Marek's temper? + to all the tender sluts and virgin mary / Marek
Organization: Northwestern University, Evanston Illinois.
Date: Fri, 18 Dec 1992 04:51:36 GMT

In article <1992Dec17.232642.6200@midway.uchicago.edu>
alk4@midway.uchicago.edu writes:
>Why would Marek be immune from the zeal of a missionary.

Why indeed.  Many a missionary stole my heart.  I remember that shiny, shiny
Venezuelan girl from ... ah.. sigh.  never mind.

>Perchance the missionary position has him
>too hard on his words.

I think this is a delightful if obvious pun, but I would regret if the
obviously inexperienced in the audience acquired a disinclination for the
very wonderful missionary position merely by associating it with me.

>Artifacts failed because I expected too much from readers.

You flatter yourself, Alex.  Next you will present us with empty pages,
asking us what we think of the craft that went into them.  You seem to
forget when you are done with a poem that it no longer lives on the page
but in your head, except for a few incriminating remnants.

>Don was one of the only people who actually went in the right
>direction, did the work, tore the line of sight to shreds,
>which is what the text asked one to do.

Donn't :) see any of this.  The text said "condoms abucket! and a rose
too!"; I did not see any requests for tearing anything ( incidentally,
where were the torn packages?).  Don said there is ambiguity in the poem
and you claim the poem was about looking at things, without providing a
story.  I don't have Don's defense saved but he assumed a story too, only
an ambiguous one.  You see, Don likes fluffy, ethereal things like Wallace
Stevens' mindcandy and he wanted to see it in your poem.

>I've pointed out that personaly, I prefer to keep the word "fuck"
>negative, because I think our world offers SO many opportunities to use it.
>(To use it negatively).

That is very unfortunate of you.  English does not have good words for the
positive/neutral fuck, unlike Polish, and I assume, Russian.  In fact, this
languge is so lexicon-poor, the last thing we want to do is to lock in
meaning at the level of words, regardless of the meaning.  Hence you are
sufering my, as you so generously call it, mission to work on fuck and
bring it back to the language as a rehabilitated, productive member of the
society of mind (TM Marvin Minsky). :)


[here, some reconstructive surgery to help out Alex]
>Anyone who objects to Marek's mission to turn the word "fuck"
>and the whole concept of sex into a wonderful thing,
>anyone who disagrees with Marek on this point
>is going to get harsh and often insulting responses.
>It might be a warning to
>you all, or maybe a point to Marek.

This is inaccurate.  The only time harshness will ensue is when the
disagreeable party :) of the first part says something stupid, and even
then, only if, temporarily, my overarching tenderness and fondness for them
were to become momentarily overcome by a flash-flood blinding rage at
their, um, failings of thought or eloquence.

Usually I am quite amenable to calm discussion.  However, of late I've had
a lot of PMS problems and I'm stressed out.  Imagine dealing with,
like, 7 overlapping ones at a time...

>Making people angry just gives them good reason to dismiss
>anything you have to say.
>Walk barefoot sometimes
>and when the rain falls
>get wet.

I like this one.  Wish you left in more meaning in all your stuff.

Here is an obligatory poem, from "Cincy92":

 
		to all the tender sluts and virgin mary
		-------------------------------------------------------------
 
		oh, girls.
		 
		without frills we knit the fabric of our summers.
		the pious man confesses his sins
		while we queue up for pizza and iced tea,
		then play footsie.
		 
		this is a whimsical poem
		a poem of heartland truth
		uncouth, our youth radiates coltish desire
		over and above any federal withholding,
		state and municipal laws.
		 
		generous sluts!
		and dear virgin mary...
		we summon our very best:
		may the republicans lose their next erection
		and all the rest.
		 
		 
			Marek Lugowski
			11 July 1992
			Cincinnati, Ohio



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