To the Self-Described Young Up and Coming Poet Who Tried to Steal Rachel McKibbens' Poetry

[elisem]

To the Self-Described Young Up and Coming Poet Who Tried to Steal Rachel McKibbens' Poetry


You were aiming for a prize but
You tried to lift something
You cannot lift
Something that took seven years to write. Or forty-two to survive.

You tried to lift something
That was the languaging of someone else’s survival.
Something that took seven years to write. Or forty-two to survive.
You cannot call it your own, though.

That was the languaging of someone else’s survival:
Ink and blood.
You cannot call it your own, though
You did pay someone to push ink through a needle into your arm,

Ink and blood,
Marking you forever.
You did pay someone to push ink through a needle into your arm,
Something to be remembered,

Marking you forever
As a thief. A thief of words, a would-be thief of memory and blood.
Something to be remembered,
Though not the way you expected.

As a thief, a thief of words, a would-be thief of memory and blood,
You are almost as small as your broke-down regurgitated poetry.
Though not the way you expected,
This has undoubtedly been educational for you.

You are almost as small as your broke-down regurgitated poetry.
You tried to steal a real poet’s truth, but her truth is bigger.
This has undoubtedly been educational for you.
You can’t carry off that kind of truth.

You tried to steal a real poet’s truth, and her truth is bigger.
You were aiming for a prize but
You can’t carry off the kind of truth
You cannot lift.

Comments

[sine_nomine]

OMG this is amazing.

(and you are missed)

[radiantfracture]

Nicely done and rather devastating.

I like this a lot:

You tried to lift something / That was the languaging of someone else’s survival.

[davidgillon]

{Nods approval}

[elisem]

The excellent phrase about languaging survival is directly from Rachel McKibbens' comment on the attempt, which can be found in her tweet-thread about the incident and its ramifications:

"YOU DO NOT GET TO LIFT ANYONE'S WORK. but you ESPECIALLY do not get to fucking steal how I language my fucking survival." -- Rachel McKibbens

[sovay]

To the Self-Described Young Up and Coming Poet Who Tried to Steal Rachel McKibbens' Poetry

I had not known this had happened until I saw your post, so thank you the heads-up! Also—

You were aiming for a prize but
You can’t carry off the kind of truth
You cannot lift.

—that's very good.

[radiantfracture]

Ohhhhhh okay, so now I actually get what you're doing.

[pameladean]

That is excellent. Not the deed you eviscerate, but the poem.

P.

[halfmoon_mollie1]

You ARE missed and this is amazing.

[elisem]

Sometimes when something happens, like this appalling incident, I get inspired to write a piece with a very short turnaround. It was less than an hour between reading the thread and posting the poem.

Tuesday I go over to a local bookshop and pick up my copy of McKibbens' book, which is waiting for me there now.