tzaraistischer traumfänger

Pick up a magazine. A newspaper. Find a text; cut it out; not too long, not too short; cut out words; put them into a bag; mix them well, randomness is a writer’s energy; feel good before you start: be with good friends and a bottle of French wine, or be by yourself with the bottle; music will help; you’re picky about the order paintings are hung in an exhibition, right?
Feeling good? Then…
Draw the words from the bag; don’t be picky; don’t pretend you are orderliness itself; not even for the title of your poem; don’t try to make sense – beauty will be destroyed; destroyed, you got that? but I’m not pretending to be an orderly person at all and never when it comes to poetry; this is how to flip a coin to decide on the length of the title; one word, two words, three words – someone’s got to decide and before you ask: it’s you who makes the decision together with chance, luck, happenstance; got that? this is how to draw the words for the title from your bag; this is how to write down the words you draw, prevent your work from looking like the work of a deadhead; this is how you put words into lines so they don’t change what you mean; this is how you decide on the stanzas so they don’t change what you mean; copy conscientiously or stop; remind yourself: you are aiming for beauty; got that? Beauty. This is when the right word stands in the right position; creating beauty is like walking a tightrope: if you look down to your right you see dilettantism, the consequence of craft of no quality, to your left you see kitsch, the consequence of thought of no quality; copy conscientiously or stop; this is how to take out scraps, one after another; this is how to deal with two words pulled out at one time; this is how to deal with a word fallen to the ground; this is how to deal with punctuation marks; you still care how they hung the paintings in the exhibition you went to, right?
Yes. You do. More then ever! Realize: You haven’t changed, you are still you. But for now, forget the paintings; think of your poem; you found a secret door to yourself; now you can do what you dream of.
Once all the words are drawn, take a deep breath; this is your accomplishment; this is you! Read it; if you are with friends, remember: you are the Dada genius – and this is the best part: they praise you for that; if you are alone, turn up the volume of your music and read aloud: then turn the music off and read again; this is how to read a poem you don’t like very much; this is how to read a poem you don’t like at all; this is how to read the poem you love;
Write a poem every day; even short ones count; don’t try to write wise poems– let wisdom come on its own; don’t take compliments seriously – don’t get cocky; don’t ask for advice, what you mean will come.
Marvelous! You can see the beauty now, right? But can the others? It’s up to you! The artist stands behind his work, right?
This is how to present the poem in front of critics; this how to argue against a critic; this how a critic will argue against you; this is how to convince the world of your work, and if they don’t buy it, feel good, because you don’t care; got that? You don’t care; this is how to make ends meet; this is how to start all over again; this is a new text; here are the scissors; this is it; but what is it? Where is it? I can’t find it anymore. It was so easy the first time. It’s in you; let it out; it will come; it will come; the beauty, I mean…the beauty.