angelweave

April 21, 2004

Poetry Kills


Oh to be a tortured soul with pen and word! Dangerous to your health!
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Poets die young -- younger than novelists, playwrights and other writers, a U.S. researcher said on Wednesday.

It could be because poets are tortured and prone to self-destruction, or it could be that poets become famous young, so their early deaths are noticed, said James Kaufman of the Learning Research Institute at California State University at San Bernardino.
It's all that danger and intrigue. The tightropes. The skydiving.

Brian killed my poetry - got too happy to write. Thank you, honey, for saving my life.

hln

Posted by hln at April 21, 2004 08:26 PM | Whimsy | TrackBack
Comments

I vote it's because poets are traditionally drunks. Didn't some famous ancient Chinese poet die trying to hug his own reflection in the water while he was soused to his figurative gills?

Posted by: Victor at April 22, 2004 06:45 AM

I believe you're thinking of Narcissus:

http://www.mythweb.com/encyc/entries/narcissus.html

Posted by: Harvey at April 22, 2004 09:05 AM

No, I know the myth of Narcissus. It seems I was thinking of Li-Po (also Li T'ai Po) and he was trying to embrace the moon's reflection in water.

Posted by: Victor at April 24, 2004 09:04 PM

Forgot the link. Anyway, my point was Chinese poets die alcohol-related deaths.

Posted by: Victor at April 24, 2004 09:05 PM