The Alchemist Lab

[sassynyc]

Alchemy is the medieval science of transmuting base metals into precious metals
(i.e. iron/nickel to gold/silver). Even more simply put, changing shit to shinola.
The idea of one thing created from another, so vastly different from itself gets me thinking. We’re a highly creative bunch here at Lit, and prone to experiment of some sort. Try this on for size.

You are now in the laboratory of the Alchemy department at Lit University. The idea is for everyone who posts here, to create new poetry from another poet’s work. Nothing is off limits. You can make a clean poem dirty, clean up a filthy one, and everything in between. Be as creative as you like. You can rework a poem any way you see fit. There are several ways to do this.

• You can insert your own words into someone else’s poem and repost it; make sure you quote the original and highlight what you’ve added.
• Take keywords from another poem to create your own poem. Highlight the borrowed words.
• Re-arrange the words of a poem to change the meaning
• Combine words from two different poems (ransom note style). Be sure to quote the original posts so we get the correlation.

I’m sure the wonderfully creative minds here can come up with more spins on this, but you get the idea. So break out your Petri dishes and Bunsen burners. Grab a lab coat, and let’s have at it.

I’ll kick off with this:

Gourmet Alchemy

We spin gold from delicate ruin
With cast-offs from the pantry shelf
Waste not, want not
Dovetail and seize the day

Berries, less plump, pummeled to jam
And preserves that preserve us through spring
The once lush and ripe, set for pasture, but saved
Resume seats on the shelf, to spar another day

Croutons…
Crostini...
And bread pudding too
Memorial to a stale baguette crew

Fruits, veggies and gourds, chutneyed and pickled
Poultry dons peacock feathers and preens
Smartly dressed to attend the Salad Bowl
They debut as the next new things

Culinary cosmetic surgery
Alchemy served in
A fresh jell-o ring

 

[Eluard]

Ahh I'm not sure this is such a great idea, Sassy.

For one thing, if you mean transforming the poem of someone on Lit, then those poems are the copyright of the poets. You can't do anything to them without violating their copyright. Same holds if someone is not on Lit.

To see this just imagine that the suggestion were made about taking a song and transforming it: if you are very close to the original then you breach copyright. If you are quite distant from the original then, no breach, but it is hardly turning dross into gold either — more a matter of being influenced. To go with your idea seems to mean sticking close to the original.

But also, as a second point, if the idea is a matter of taking someone's poem here on Lit then I can imagine that they might — just might — take offense at the idea that their poem was shit and the person who has changed it somehow has made shinola/gold out of it. Poets are sensitive like that.

Of course, if someone gives explicit permission for these hi-jinx then go ahead by all means. But you have to get their permission first.

 

[champagne1982]

Ahh I'm not sure this is such a great idea, Sassy.

For one thing, if you mean transforming the poem of someone on Lit, then those poems are the copyright of the poets. You can't do anything to them without violating their copyright. Same holds if someone is not on Lit.

To see this just imagine that the suggestion were made about taking a song and transforming it: if you are very close to the original then you breach copyright. If you are quite distant from the original then, no breach, but it is hardly turning dross into gold either — more a matter of being influenced. To go with your idea seems to mean sticking close to the original.

But also, as a second point, if the idea is a matter of taking someone's poem here on Lit then I can imagine that they might — just might — take offense at the idea that their poem was shit and the person who has changed it somehow has made shinola/gold out of it. Poets are sensitive like that.

Of course, if someone gives explicit permission for these hi-jinx then go ahead by all means. But you have to get their permission first.

There's always the addition to this challenge that if you want to participate then you offer your own posted Literotica poems as a source of alchemists' material. You make a tacit or general declaration that your dross is available for transmutation when you join in the game.

The other arrangement could be that the participating poets are required to communicate their desire to the authors through email or pm and garner their permission to use their poetry; no agreement from the originator = no use of the poem for this purpose.

That being said, I offer my lead up for firing in anyone's crucible. Caution: any mental or physical damage caused through use of said poetry is purely the responsibility of the alchemist and not the supplier of the base metals...

 

[Anschul]

Ahh I'm not sure this is such a great idea, Sassy.

For one thing, if you mean transforming the poem of someone on Lit, then those poems are the copyright of the poets. You can't do anything to them without violating their copyright. Same holds if someone is not on Lit.

To see this just imagine that the suggestion were made about taking a song and transforming it: if you are very close to the original then you breach copyright. If you are quite distant from the original then, no breach, but it is hardly turning dross into gold either — more a matter of being influenced. To go with your idea seems to mean sticking close to the original.

But also, as a second point, if the idea is a matter of taking someone's poem here on Lit then I can imagine that they might — just might — take offense at the idea that their poem was shit and the person who has changed it somehow has made shinola/gold out of it. Poets are sensitive like that.

Of course, if someone gives explicit permission for these hi-jinx then go ahead by all means. But you have to get their permission first.

Good thought, El, but how is this different from the sampling being done in music? As far as I know, permission and rights and stuff is violated all the time when someone's work is sampled to produce something different. For example, I believe I read that MC Hammer didn't request or receive permission from Rick James (SuperFreak=Can't Touch This). This is standard practice in certain areas of the music biz, and that's big money.
I'm all for permissions, as Champagne suggests. But I'm just askin'...

 

[unpredictablebijou]

I should think that most of this would be just fine, particularly if one were using someone else's work as basic inspiration for a relatively new piece, rather than just doing the equivalent of editing. I doubt that simple editing is the intent here; I'd be inclined to do more alchemy, more transformation: change the whole subject, take four lines and write a glosa, that sort of thing.

That shouldn't really bug anyone, and of course if it did they'd probably say something and the piece could be taken down. No big deal, really.

That said, I offer my stuff freely, for what it's worth - have at it.

One question, though. Is your idea sorta like the 5 senses thing, where we work on the one that is previous in the thread, or are we just off finding anyone's work anywhere? The former would be a bit limiting but would guarantee that you have complete consent to mess with someone's stuff, but the latter would give a lot more flexibility.

There are people who have really inspired me, and taking a line or two as the roots of a new piece would be an interesting exercise. We did that a while back - using other poets' work as first and last lines, and it was a great exercise. Though I do remember that everyone participating got in and said that their work was available...

I'm in, though I hope there's no time limit. Kinda swamped at the moment. And of course I'm going to love the alchemy metaphor.

bj

 

[sassynyc]

Just to clear things up....

I seem to have opened up a big ol' can of worms here. So let me clarify. This is just for kicks. It is limited strictly to poems posted within this thread. So if you posted here, it would mean you wouldn't mind having your work tinkered with. I'm not suggesting changing anyone's previous work, as I understand both legality and personal attachment to what one writes.

Bijoux,you have the right idea. This is very much like the 5 senses thread, where you choose from posts within the thread to respond to. It's simply for fun. As far as the "shit to shinola", I didn't intend to imply that anyone's work is shit. It was simply to reference the vast difference between those two things. So I hope no one takes offense. There's also no intent to make someone's poem "better", since art is relative. This is not a thread for constructive editing or anything of that sort. This is just a game meant to make a poem different from the way it starts out. It can be done in jest, or have a more serious tone.....whatever. The idea is just to have fun with creativity.

Ok.....I hope I've cleared any confusion. Anybody wanna play?

 

[unpredictablebijou]

Gotcha.

Well I'm in, for what it's worth, but that's not much. I'm rarely in the Five Senses thread 'cause writing things that quickly just isn't my strong suit. But I keep watching in there, as I will here, just in case there's something I can jump on.

Trust me, in six months I'd have some very reasonable work on alchemy, but that doesn't really help with the moment.

I may try a glosa with your piece though. That's a form that really helps me focus.

bj

 

[UnderYourSpell]

I don't know how to hi-light but you can fiddle with mine all you want ...

 

[Eluard]

Good thought, El, but how is this different from the sampling being done in music? As far as I know, permission and rights and stuff is violated all the time when someone's work is sampled to produce something different. For example, I believe I read that MC Hammer didn't request or receive permission from Rick James (SuperFreak=Can't Touch This). This is standard practice in certain areas of the music biz, and that's big money.
I'm all for permissions, as Champagne suggests. But I'm just askin'...

In music, if the original composer hires a lawyer than the re-user/sampler can expect to pay out big bucks. Take the example of Bittersweet Symphony by Verve. It sampled something by Andrew Ood Oldham (sic) — the Stones' previous manager — and though the song made millions almost all of that went to Oldham.

The only way you can get away with this kind of sampling in music is if the owners of the rights don't have good lawyers.

All of that said: ok I like this idea, now that it has been clarified, so count me in.

 

[Anschul]

I don't know how to hi-light but you can fiddle with mine all you want ...

Can I fiddle with yours?

 

[Anschul]

In music, if the original composer hires a lawyer than the re-user/sampler can expect to pay out big bucks. Take the example of Bittersweet Symphony by Verve. It sampled something by Andrew Ood Oldham (sic) — the Stones' previous manager — and though the song made millions almost all of that went to Oldham.

The only way you can get away with this kind of sampling in music is if the owners of the rights don't have good lawyers.

All of that said: ok I like this idea, now that it has been clarified, so count me in.

Of course you're right--but the reality is that the lawyer thing only happens very occasionally. I'm basing my opinion on my gut, not data, but I am, have been a musician, have been around money-making musicians and songwriters, and my gut tells me that samplers get away with the sampling WAY more often than they do not.

 

[loststar]

I'm in, and I give express permission for anyone to use my"shit" and turn it into something shiny, and feel free to corecet the spelling errors as I know there will be many. By the way, most of my work can be found in the bistro, or the may challange.

 

[UnderYourSpell]

Can I fiddle with yours?

No you can't you're still on my curse list!

 

[Eluard]

Of course you're right--but the reality is that the lawyer thing only happens very occasionally. I'm basing my opinion on my gut, not data, but I am, have been a musician, have been around money-making musicians and songwriters, and my gut tells me that samplers get away with the sampling WAY more often than they do not.

Yeah, you may be right about the proportions. But I do know of another case where a song was a huge hit worldwide and it had used an unauthorised sample (from a James Bond soundtrack) and the lawyers took ALL of the money. It is very risky not striking a deal up front. But yes, you are more likely to get away with it when there is not a huge amount of money involved.

 

[Anschul]

No you can't you're still on my curse list!

* Sits mournfully and contritely in the corner *

 

[champagne1982]

UYS darling, don't make the chefapalooza sulk. He's more likely to produce a flat souffle when his smile droops.

 

[UnderYourSpell]

Huh he'll survive what's one lady amongst so many!

 

[sassynyc]

Ahem....

:caning: Ok folks, FOCUS.

Poetry....

Alchemy....

Write something!

We can play catch up in the Bistro.

 

[Eluard]

I thought this challenge would be reasonably easy but it has not turned out to be. For one thing I found that I could only attempt this on a poem that I really liked. Now there is a particular poem of lostar’s that I am very fond of — in fact I think it is a little gem. I can riff on the same theme, but I cannot do better than hers because I regard it as perfect as it is (ok the spelling is crap, but we’ll forget that for now). So here is a poem on the same theme as a poem of Lostar’s but it is by no means better, just slightly different.




A thousand nights have I dreamed of you
Dreamed of you lying

beside me

In this empty bed
. . . . .Where no one sleeps.

. . . . .And I try
With all that is in me to believe
That the fierce pleasure
. . . . .Of my dreams is your

Pleasure in lying with me.


The world no longer exists,
. . . . .Just this memory of you

As I surrender myself
To the dreamless dream
. . . . . . .that you’ve left behind.


And with this I declare that I am out of this challenge.




.

 

[sassynyc]

I thought this challenge would be reasonably easy but it has not turned out to be. For one thing I found that I could only attempt this on a poem that I really liked. Now there is a particular poem of lostar’s that I am very fond of — in fact I think it is a little gem. I can riff on the same theme, but I cannot do better than hers because I regard it as perfect as it is (ok the spelling is crap, but we’ll forget that for now). So here is a poem on the same theme as a poem of Lostar’s but it is by no means better, just slightly different.




A thousand nights have I dreamed of you
Dreamed of you lying

beside me

In this empty bed
. . . . .Where no one sleeps.

. . . . .And I try
With all that is in me to believe
That the fierce pleasure
. . . . .Of my dreams is your

Pleasure in lying with me.


The world no longer exists,
. . . . .Just this memory of you

As I surrender myself
To the dreamless dream
. . . . . . .that you’ve left behind.


And with this I declare that I am out of this challenge.




.

Again, this challenge is not about making someone's poem better, simply different, in any number of ways. It's an exercise in creativity. Here's an example. I've underlined all the words (above) that I'm going to use to create a new poem. I'll put those words in bold print to show the connection between the original poem and the new poem:

A thousand nights staring
Into your lying eyes
A trail of tears left behind
When you leave our bed empty
And hop to the next
To spread your warmth
But never sleep
I surrender the dream
To mere memory


You can select key words, phrases etc. and hi-lite, underline or boldly print to show the origin and/or the end result. You can recycle poems from throughout the thread, as ten people will likely have ten different spins on one poem. If there isn't a poem you'd like to work on, feel free to post one yourself and then reconstruct it, or let others do so.

There is no word minimum, so a poem can be as long or short as you like. There is also no time frame, so you don't have to post consecutively......simply whenever something here tickles your fancy. Just keep the posts relevant to the thread. It's all about the possibility of language, and creating new poetry.

 

[champagne1982]

Iron Pyrites

Crystalline jewels in shallow
walled valleys shimmering
as the quake warns of coming
upheaval. Intrepid prospector
wind through this vale, find
the treasure; mineral salts
coalesced into gems that lure
you into dangerous instability.

Terraine shook by passing
passion in your quest for rich
lodes. Trembling fingers
caress each bauble then brought
to those lips to taste and sample
the good of it. Mine this illusion
and sink your shaft into the rich
vein beneath the deception
and return to the world
a wealthy man.

A Hope For Change

Iron pyrites line the crucible
not lead this time. The intrepid
alchemist seeks the treasure
hidden in the fire, the air, the well,
the very earth coalesced
to precious out of fool's gold.

The sweat of passing passion
salts his lips and as each joins
each his caress heats each bauble
as the magician mines the fragile illusion
that all is well beneath the deception
molten in the kiln. It bubbles promise.

 

[jimequfa]

Realization

1982 was a good year so I want to play...if sassy doesn't mind.

Iron Pyrites

Crystalline jewels in shallow
walled valleys shimmering
as the quake warns of coming
upheaval. Intrepid prospector
wind through this vale, find
the treasure; mineral salts
coalesced into gems that lure
you into dangerous instability.

Terraine shook by passing
passion in your quest for rich
lodes. Trembling fingers
caress each bauble then brought
to those lips to taste and sample
the good of it. Mine this illusion
and sink your shaft into the rich
vein beneath the deception
and return to the world
a wealthy man.

Realization

Crystalline jewels shimmer
and quake at the coming
upheaval. Intrepid vale,
formed of salts
into gems that lure
her dangerous instability.

Passing passion quest for rich
lodes. Trembling fingers
trace each freckle
to those lips,
taste the good of it.
Illusion sinks into the rich
deception and returns the world.

 

[sassynyc]

1982 was a good year so I want to play...if sassy doesn't mind.

I don't mind at all. Welcome to the sand box

Iron Pyrites

Crystalline jewels in shallow
walled valleys shimmering
as the quake warns of coming
upheaval. Intrepid prospector
wind through this vale, find
the treasure; mineral salts
coalesced into gems that lure
you into dangerous instability.

Terraine shook by passing
passion in your quest for rich
lodes. Trembling fingers
caress each bauble then brought
to those lips to taste and sample
the good of it. Mine this illusion
and sink your shaft into the rich
vein beneath the deception
and return to the world
a wealthy man.

La La Land

falling down the shaft of the rich and famous
on the quest for fabulosity
navigate the path through the vale of Hollywood
veils of illusion mask lucidity

squinty-eyed from bauble glare
the dazzle of paparazzi click 'n' flash
common folk stop and stare
celebs attempt the meter dash

beneath the deception, lies
charming props for the set
of a life sans anonymity
publicly, a marionette