Sunday, January 22, 2006

starting over

This dependency on an old PC and an extremely slow dial-up line is becoming more and more frustrating. Plus the cost of logging on and surfing the web is more than I can handle right now, hence my extended periods of silence. Having found / established a home within the Blogging realm, it is difficult not being able to speak one’s mind and share in one’s thoughts on a regular basis.

The one positive is that, during this period, I have spent a great deal reflecting on ‘the meaning of it all’, especially since lightening fried my telly. I am a member of two poetic electronic discussion spaces and the last two weeks have been riddled with extensive discussion on various aspects of poetry, particularly around performance and writing.


I do feel that, within the ‘movement’ I operate, I have reached a relative ceiling in terms of my ability and evolution as a writer and spoken word artist, and, as a result, have been looking for what could be termed ‘the next step’. The discussions I have been privy to, have given me a clearer idea of what I need to find that direction.

At the heart of this epiphany is that, for me to comfortably call myself a poet and a writer, I need to delve deeper into my forms of choice and create context from the wealth of work that has come before me. In doing this, I am in a stronger position to be able to define and identify what it is I do and how it fits into the general scheme of things.

There is a sad belief, especially among young aspiring poets in my space, that what we are doing transcends what has been done. The question that has come to the fore is ‘how?’, to which I personally have no answers. To answer, I need to know WHAT HAS BEEN DONE BEFORE.

These discussions are too lengthy to detail here by if you do a search for UCT Poetry Web, as well as visit E-Poets Network (link available on my Blog), then you might be able to access some of the discussion. How I am able to take the words ‘spoken’ and translate them into better writing and ‘performing’ will be the gauge from which my body of work, in years to come, is perceived. A scary, but exciting space, to be in, but that is how important it is. I feel like I am only beginning this poetic journey. Easy

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Before I started the last paragraph of this post, I thought to myself "sounds like a real journey. It must be both exciting and scary at the same time." And there it is, written before me. I love syncronicity. Or maybe it's something else. For whatever reason, I think I know how you feel.
There are a few bloggers I have "met" that I think I must have known in another life, or are just meant to cross paths with for a special reason in this current lifetime. We ALL cross for one reason or another but with some, it is more evident that there is a purpose. Whichever the case, be it known or coming, it's been nice to meet you! Enhoy your adventure!
Peace...............

Kojo Baffoe said...

Helen, the fascinating and wonderful thing about blogging is that we are put in a position where we can reach out to kindred souls who we would otherwise never 'meet'. Thank you for your words and your regular visits. I try to reciprocate as much as possible, not because you visit here, but because i am drawn to both your writings and your pictures. Thank you.
Easy runnings

Anonymous said...

as far as the qustion of "what has bee done "goes, i think everything has been done. what makes everything we write and say still new is that no one has said as "you'. no one who has lived in your skin,tasted with yor lips, loved with your heart and regretted with your conscience-has written before. that makes it pretty fucking special and original if u ask me. we always seem to view our thoughts and all we do as "fake" coz its been done-trust me it has but not with your own individual unique twisted way.and evenm if you re-write something you have written about before, itsstill new coz you are not who yu were 3 days ago. we grow, we change. we lie(even to ourselves) and we can renew ourselves and recycle our words for as long as oue hearts and souls feel happy and at peace to do so.

lata

Kojo Baffoe said...

wonderfully put swati.