As I've already mentioned, my first efforts in publishing poetry were to the rec.arts.poetry Usenet group (rap). As was often the case, once someone had published one or two attempts they generally started to get comments, criticisms (usually constructive) and to my surprise one of the other posters suggested a collaboration. We wrote two poems about water together and then collaborated with one other person (I'll post that one later). It was all in good fun and not particularly serious.
It was all done via email, line by line and then the finished result was posted to rap. Here's the first one, exactly as it was first posted (without the ASCII underlined headings we all used at the time).
The other poet was a Polish-American poet (Usenet opened up the world to all of us) named Marek Lugowski. Sadly he passed away at the beginning of last year. We'd long since lost touch - we mainly sparred back and forth on rap in 1990-1991 and then briefly corresponded when I got back online around 1998 (ish).
Marek was a prolific poet and founder of A Small Garlic Press (
http://asgp.org/). He was the real deal - I only dabble for my own enjoyment.
water for two
water,
water
i put my hands in water
cupped
like i cup you
water
breaks up laughing
giggling
completely escaping me
except for the tea of glistening
just like you
water.
you. my hands.
i look at both of you alight
with wonder.
so are my hands
alight with wonder
and looking at you.
who
is cupping
whom?
your
water words
flow past
my hands
my words trickle
behind the flow
you go
too fast
now i am drenched
bubble
slosh drip
in my ears and
the water still comes
not soft.
lets write a poem on it
you said
hugs, you said
hugs and
kisses (so there!).
Cathy Newberry / Marek Lugowski
3-5 June 1990
Canberra, Australia / Lake Monroe, Indiana
a transpacific production.
(c)
1990 by Cathy Newberry
(c) 1990 by Marek Lugowski
All Rights Reserved. Personal use copies exempted.
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