"Individuality is a Virtue" and "Morality is Choice"

[captainatlas]

"Individuality is a Virtue" by Jacob Miller-alderman

A man scolded me

For I lacked patience

“Patience is a virtue” he said

I declined such thoughts

I walk to a beat of my own

A woman scolded me

For I lacked courtesy

“Politeness is a virtue” she said

I declined such arrogance

I only bow to my audience

Others have scolded me

For I lacked Charity

“Righteousness is a Virtue”

I declined to such “obligation”

I give only to the workers

I scolded me Brethren

Cause the shared indifference

“Individuality is the only true virtue” I said

They declined such opportunity

I walk alone on my path

--------------------------------

"Morality is Choice" by Jacob Miller-alderman

A man once told me about morality

He said “morality is appearance”

That to be, is to be seen

That man is measure by his comrades

His world is not his own,

but that of his peers.

Another man objected to this

He said “morality is action”

Not to be judged, but to be done

It is a standard set to be followed

And has no room to be swayed

It is done, not used

A third man sat quietly

He whispered “Morality is Chosen”

To be set to your own interest

It is Subjective, not to people,

But instead to one’s self

To avoid being held back

By of the close minded

He went on to say more

No man is entitled to make truth

But to use truth for his decision

The only thing not to be swayed is man

Man carries his own future

And no man shall carry it for him

[kiaer.ts]

I applaud the attempt at poetry. I will advise you that as happy egoists age, they do come to realize that patience and politeness are indeed virtues. I do not hold the door because it is a duty, but because I am happy to be the person I choose to be. Impatience and lack of courtesy are simply symtoms of a lack of self control. I have been a criminal, and gotten away with it. The flaw in criminality is not that one is punished by others, but that one fails to respect oneself. Choose a standard and live up to it.

[captainatlas]

I applaud the attempt at poetry. I will advise you that as happy egoists age, they do come to realize that patience and politeness are indeed virtues. I do not hold the door because it is a duty, but because I am happy to be the person I choose to be. Impatience and lack of courtesy are simply symtoms of a lack of self control. I have been a criminal, and gotten away with it. The flaw in criminality is not that one is punished by others, but that one fails to respect oneself. Choose a standard and live up to it.

I truly do understand that, and I do have patience and I am quite polite, though I was trying to get across that many forsake the idea of individualism. Though I guess denying the ideas of the other two being virtues was a bit rash. Trying to avoid looking like I am making up an excuse, I guess I was looking for something to put into the writing at the time. Thank you very much for the feedback.

[kiaer.ts]

Well, conformity that calls itself patience and politeness but which is simple cowardice and defeat are no virtues. But neither is nonconformity itself, a simple reaction against, a real virtue either. The problem with poetry is that you have to be very exact in your meaning. I suggest you read Yeats, who is a great moralistic poet.

You say, as I have often given tongue

In praise of what another's said or sung,

'Twere politic to do the like by these;

But was there ever dog that praised his fleas?

[tjohnson]

The problem with poetry is that you have to be very exact in your meaning.

??? It's the exact opposite. Poetry is wide open to interpretation as opposed to physics, for example. The whole art form of poetry lies in the myriad of meanings that can be attributed to it.

[Brant Gaede]

The problem with poetry is that you have to be very exact in your meaning.

??? It's the exact opposite. Poetry is wide open to interpretation as opposed to physics, for example. The whole art form of poetry lies in the myriad of meanings that can be attributed to it.

Sometimes. Some poets don't do that so much. Kipling, I think.

--Brant

[Selene]

Folks:

Poetry is concentrated expression and each word has more impact and therefore, the poet chooses each word wisely.

The Haiku is a very difficult poetic form because of the parsing of each word.

Adam

[kiaer.ts]

Ozymandias (Original)

I met a traveller from an antique land

Who said: Two vast and trunkless legs of stone

Stand in the desert. Near them on the sand,

Half sunk, a shatter'd visage lies, whose frown

And wrinkled lip and sneer of cold command

Tell that its sculptor well those passions read

Which yet survive, stamp'd on these lifeless things,

The hand that mock'd them and the heart that fed.

And on the pedestal these words appear:

"My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:

Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!"

Nothing beside remains: round the decay

Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare,

The lone and level sands stretch far away

Ozymandias ("improved" inexact and "interpretable" General Semantic version)

I met a being from a certain place

Who said: a number of big and modified body parts of some substance

Stand somewhere. Near them on something,

Somewhat moved, a changed bodypart lies,

Whose parts state and position

Indicate that somebody in some way those qualities perceived

Which yet exist, marked on these entities,

The part that said something to them and the part that did something.

And on it somewhere it says:

"My name is not important, nor my title:

Look on this, you people, and emote!"

Nothing else is there: near the remains

Of that big thing, big and the way it is,

The place goes on.

[Selene]

Well done Ted, lol!

[kiaer.ts]

Well, gs, do you want me to do Kipling's "Conditional –" too?

[Jim Profit]

Edited February 6, 2009 by Michael Stuart Kelly

[Jim Profit]

Edited February 6, 2009 by Michael Stuart Kelly

[Selene]

Like I said... very difficult, many never even do not reach the most banal rung.

[Brant Gaede]

The Haiku is a very difficult poetic form because of the parsing of each word.

Adam

I want to sleep now

And have relations later

Make me a sandwhich

EDIT THOUGHT OF ANOTHER:

They see me rolling

They be hating patrolling

Trying to catch me

This guy would rape, rob and murder, except society constrains him. That's what he said. God-damned mother-fucking sociopath.

--Brant

[Jim Profit]

Edited February 6, 2009 by Michael Stuart Kelly

[Brant Gaede]

This guy would rape, rob and murder, except society constrains him. That's what he said. God-damned mother-fucking sociopath.

--Brant

Cool people do it

That is not what your mother

Said last night douche bag

Haikus rule lol

Just a nihilistic, SOB bastard troll.

--Brant

[Summer]

Jake, I really like your "I only bow to my audience" line.

Also: loving the Troll Spray. Very creative method of handling Jim's situation.

[Rich Engle]

I'm with Brant on the g-dang em-effin sociopath... or, to go back to efficiencies (as has been used prior, I see), douchebag comes to mind. Furmunda cheese.