'You never know what you'll find...'

[fajrdrako]

filkferengi made sure I saw this poem by ysabetwordsmith, "Slashing Through the Undergrowth", of which I think the very best line is the one used in the title - but then there's this bit:

This is where the archetypes go,
so this is where the muses go too
at two in the morning
with cups of coffee and tea and cocoa

And this bit:

Put the pieces together in a different order,
dress them in fresh costumes,
and tell them what their fandom is all about.

Doesn't that just encapsulate fandom?

Comments

Thank you!

[ysabetwordsmith]

I appreciate the signal boost. I had fun with that poem.

Re: Thank you!

[fajrdrako]

I think the way you enjoyed it came through in the words - which was one of the reasons it was so much fun. But what I liked even more was the way the poem described the experiences and nature of fandom so well.

Your poem made me quite happy, partly because of the recognition factor, but also because perceptive commentary like this, on something that's a major part of my life, feels like a type of validation. I don't feel the need for validation, necessarily, but it's nice when it drops in for a visit.

Re: Thank you!

[ysabetwordsmith]

>>But what I liked even more was the way the poem described the experiences and nature of fandom so well.<<

I've been a part of fandom for ... gosh, over 20 years now, and I was into speculative fiction all along too. So I've seen a lot of the culture, and I do love it. Fans keep our modern mythology alive and vital in an age where corporations would otherwise impoverish the cultural commons.

>>Your poem made me quite happy, partly because of the recognition factor, but also because perceptive commentary like this, on something that's a major part of my life, feels like a type of validation. <<

Yay! I like to take fun things and look at their serious aspects, or vice versa. Much of my writing is multilayered like that.

>>I don't feel the need for validation, necessarily, but it's nice when it drops in for a visit.<<

I am so saving this in my quotes file. That is exactly how I feel about many things.