A Call to Conversation (13)--:devpoetboi:

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The Darkness BelowDrop into a new world
Of ice and fire combined
Watch as events unfurl;
Events no longer a line.
Drop into a new world
To burn and freeze alone
Drop where shadows swirl;
Into where darkness has shone.   These Poets TenI am among titans
Those whose presence frightens
I stand above mankind
No stronger will you find
We fight for our own
Although we are strewn
We fight with our pens
We poets ten.   The Short Story of King Henry (6-12)There once was a king, his name was Henry.
He had many wives, but cut off their heads
The townsmen asked; "Why is it you want them dead?"
In truth, it was because they were bad in bed.
But in further truth, 'twas Henry who lied
For within his pants the problem was found
He looked for a doctor, he looked all around
But without sons, his kingship ran aground.
So take it from me, and hark a lesson
Governments end for the stupidest reasons
Not because of war, not because of treason,
But because a king's willy could not stand at attention.

Are there any poetical devices you prefer over others? How about genres or forms?
My hate for free verse isn't a secret one. I am a very traditional poet, and I share the opinion with Robert Frost that free verse is an abomination to all other forms of poetry. I know that I am probably going to get a few hate messages from exclusive poets who write, for the most part, in free verse. It's happened before. I simply feel that taking out the structure and rhythm of a poem takes away it's right to be categorized as a poem. It is now prose arranged in neat lines.

Mankind, I Pity Thee Your WaysI believe that it is human nature to kill ourselves. We smoke, we drink, we love and therefore we experience loss on a grand scale. We want lustily and give scantily, taking all that we are offered and giving only what need be given. By nature, humans are greedy, foul beings. We are, in a way, dedicated to those seven sins that are cast down by so many and embraced by so few.
However, is it the realization of this fact that disgusts me? No. It is the fact that we live in utter ignorance of it. Too many people like to go out and boast that they are of good will and good faith, and too many of those are speaking from such a hypocritical core that it disgusts some, as myself, to the point of pure, unbiased, untainted hatred. This hatred within itself further shows that even I am human, and therefore somewhat of a hypocrite.
With this comes also another belief. All men are flawed. No man is without sin. So instead of measuring ones 'good will' in deeds only spoken of, it makes more sense t  :thumb365921340:  :thumb364892543:

If you had to choose between reading Edgar Allan Poe's The Raven aloud to kindergartners, OR swimming with sharks, which would you choose? Why?
I'd read to the kids. Better to introduce them early on than not. Besides, alongside the reading, I could decline their questions or point them to a dictionary and tell them to look it up or be quiet and enjoy. Welcome to real life, kiddos. (Personally, I prefer Anabelle Lee to The Raven, anyways.)

I notice you have a couple of icons in your gallery--do the visual world and the written word go together, do you think, or clash?
They've no real relation. I've never used my sprite work as a basis for my poetry, and vice-versa. It's just another hobby, though admittedly it's been a long time since I did something like that. I've been meaning to get back into spriting, but who has the time?

 

Are there any images or phrases you find yourself repeating time and again in your work?
Not exactly. I try not to keep a common theme, but it's no big secret that a lot of my writing is anti-religious. Not militantly by any means, but I like to question the existence and explore the ideas of divine punishment and death without afterlife. Some are blatant, some aren't. As I said, I try not to keep a common theme, and when I do find myself doing this, I try to mix up the view of the poem and the reader.

Outside of dA, who/what are some of your favorite authors/books to read?
I recently finished A Game of Thrones. As George Martin is notorious for his writing and production time, I have been busying myself with re-reading the works of Tolkien (Silmarillion, The Hobbit, Lord of the Rings) and Erikson (Malazan Book of the Fallen series). Yea, I'm a fiction nut.

How about musical interests? Any genres or songs you have an obsession with?
Power metal all the way. At the top of my list is Blind Guardian; This band has inspired so many of my poems that it isn't even funny. I've even had people point out the fact that a line may closely resemble a lyric, and I have to say "Ah, yes, that is so..". It can get quite a thrill for me when someone does recognize the references, for not a lot of people love metal for the presumptions that are made of it. Other good bands include Nightwish, Avantasia, Iced Earth, Manowar, Opeth, and Rhapsody (of Fire).

What are your favorite things about the dA lit community? Least favorite?
I love how tight-knit it can be once you get to know everyone. I feel like I know a lot of the common writers, and I find myself referencing them quite a lot. Least favorite is easy; I find it absolutely deplorable how the most viewed works are often written by angsty teenagers who sit at home and write because their parents got them the iPhone 4S instead of the iPhone 5. I hate, passionately, without limit, the poetry that is just blatant hate and angst.

If you could, for one day, play "artistic matchmaker" on dA, which deviants would you pair up and why?
Aerode and hypermagical. These two poets are absolutely amazing and I am proud to say that I follow them closely. Both, like myself, have a lot to learn of all the different styles and artistic languages, but none more than these two could learn so much from each other  I feel like if I were to see someone who possessed the knowledge combined of what these two possess, I would no longer write; Perfection has been achieved at that point.

Pick three pieces (written by other people) from your favorites, give us a link to them, and tell us a little about why you like them?
The creation of a nightmareGather all around to see,
The atrocity before me,
Gather now all around
To the glorious sound.
Come towards the pile,
Don't fear nor be vile.
Do not judge, just accept
With no remorse nor regret.
                          A pile of corpses form a throne
                          A child with a knife, now fully grown
                          A victim of illusion and false hope
                          Massacred by reality, tied on a rope.
                          The view is magnificent and stranded,
                          Act now, don't make him feel abandoned!
          & This is a great one. The loose rhyme scheme makes it a pleasure to read, while this poet in particular always has the best imagery, even if it isn't presented with the best structure.

I will love you still.Tomorrow,
provided that when morning rolls around
the dulcet sky is not hewn and falling
like calamity around my neck,
and the ground is not rent with grief
or torn asunder with greed,
and the ocean has not swallowed me up
and left me hidden within her tides,
tomorrow I will love you still.
When the sudden sun sneaks
like a thief across the horizon
and steals your face from my fitful slumber,
I will stretch and remember Summer days
and the sweet aroma of your smile.
If deep within the mountain-dark night
my demons have encamped around me
and drawn pictures of tragedy in my mind's eye,
I will think of the softness of your hands,
the trusting heaviness of your whispered secrets.
I have made myself a liar.
Tomorrow,
Even if I woke with a millstone tied around my neck,
and the ground opened up a chasm to swallow me,
and if the sea rose up around me,
then I would sing your saltwater praises.
Tomorrow,
I will love you still. This is one of the only acceptable poems about love, in my opinion. The metaphor and simile used are just so amazing in this piece. It's inspired a few of my own similes since it was written.

:thumb365776799: This one I can't explain. Have you ever read something and just said "Damn, I wish I had written that.."? Well that should explain it.

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Thank you, PoetBoi, for bringing such a unique and interesting voice to this interview!  I really appreciate you taking the time to talk with me!

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