Friday, November 03, 2006

need to remove a word

used cunt in a poem
wanted a strong word
not a pejorative word
well, it is. every time i read it i wince
don't think i'm up to tossing cunt about,
as it were...

6 comments:

qbitty said...

using 'cicada'
will not make you a great poet
a cunt might do IT!

eric d said...

interesting perspective!
not so sure about that however...

Anonymous said...

try using puss to start with
it'll make the jump to cunt that much less scary

eric d said...

hmmm. that's not my intent though. to ease into the word. i wanted, rather than an anatomic word, just a word of strength. and femaleness was desired. it just ends up being a negative connotation, and i am not angry in these poems, mournful perhaps. they are lovepoems after all! it's odd just as i now pepper the term 'fuck' about without a second thought to it's negativity, just as an emphasizer at times... "did you fucking see that?,it was fucking huge"
in an appropriate social context, (it's not an adjective in my workplace for example)i no longer see it as a very powerful word. people a bit younger than mysef seem to use cunt in a similar way, albeit less often. more pejoratively i guess...i was stunned to hear someone calling another person that a few years ago. it seemed SO excessive to me. i think perhaps it's a function of age.
so i don't think it is a word i can take back, or maybe employ without that nasty aspect. maybe it is. overall i think i fall back on classic swearwords too much for emphasis.
hmm. my mother would be amused that i'm writing this, she's been on my case for years...

Tiffany said...

The word cunt is not a terrible thing. It generally has a rather oppressive connotation, however. Consider, though, that it has been in the process of being reclaimed for a number of years now (you could try googling 'reclaim cunt'). It can be used rather positively, which is considered quite progressive.

While it has hugely negative baggage, it is a word like no other. The sound and feel of the word in your mouth is unlike any euphemism. It can be a great and positive word. So, I do not discourage it, but I will suggest that you consider the context you place it in, and the idea you want to convey versus the feeing it conveys in context. You can use it very positively, but be wary that the readers will attribute negative baggage to the word unless you support it otherwise.

Also, the most important reader to satisfy is yourself, so make sure you're pleased and then consider the outward affect.

Yikes. Sorry, just passed in an English critical analysis this morning. I'm in didactic mode. Gah!

eric d said...

no worries :)
all crit appreciated.

yes i know reclaimed terminology can be empowering. context and all. i don't mind a bit of shock value, i think the p.c. artworld is too complacent. then again, it isn't my intention to just be a stark raving jerk either, just for the record.

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