Due somewhat to psychic pain that still simultaneously zaps my strength and energizes me, that fills me with contempt and sadness and teaches me love and compassion, I started this blog.
My partner of going on twelve years describes it best: “I thought you were sick. But you’re really just an asshole.” Thank you for never pitying me, partner.
Of course there were other factors in creating the blog: my desire to write a long essay about one of my gay poet heroes Mark Doty; to show my respect for Reginald Shepherd; to make myself visible after Proposition 8 said to gays everywhere: you should die; to redeem myself to the young gay men I failed in the worst queer literature course ever taught. I’m sure there are others reasons, too.
There are many, many people I would like to thank. But I hate naming names; I always forget one and then feel like a jerk.
I never thought anyone would read my blog. It’s nice to know a few individuals do from time to time. In the beginning, I just hoped that the gay poet/blogger pioneers that I look up to would maybe glance at it. And once in a while when I get sad, I make myself feel better by imagining them. I hope that maybe when they have a little time away from their busy schedules, they take a brief look at my words .
There are many things I’m proud of. The most significant is that I like to think that I contributed in small part to the disappearance of what became the most dangerous blog in our literary community.
Even though I appreciate the praise, I embrace the people who have challenged me and annoyed me and even hurt my feelings. You’ve kept me honest.
And most of all I’d like to thank all the gay poets I’ve named on my blog. I haven’t necessarily liked your work, but that’s not really important. It’s all in the spirit of poetry and love and words. And if you haven’t realized that, it doesn’t matter. Your words made me love you in such a way that I wrote about them. It’s one of the only ways I know how to say I love you, and that love, for me anyway, doesn’t need to be reciprocated. That’s what makes it love.
Although I frequently agree with your partner's assessment, LOL I wish you all the best. Please continue to provoke, annoy, and harangue. Because in doing so you provoke thought and self-awareness. We all need more of that. Even when we might otherwise disagree.
ReplyDelete"The most significant is that I like to think that I contributed in small part to the disappearance of what became the most dangerous blog in our literary community."
ReplyDeleteThis is vaguely plausible considering that the stakes are so laughably low (in the poetry and literary blog world) that "dangerous" is, in a relative sense, accurate. Unless I'm thinking of a different blog. But I'd argue that your use of "dangerous" needs some serious qualification or further explanation.
love your boyfriend!
ReplyDelete