Shoot

From the movie Ratatouille

 A certain Ernie's first post in my Filipino writing group:

> > > O most illustrious of thinking and feeling creatures,
> > >
> > > I have been lurking by the sidelines reveling in your
> > commentaries, drinking in the colors and shades of your
> > brainchildren. This phenomenon was long time coming, that the
> > Filipino creative soul should stir and be finally unmuzzled. May
> > our tribe increase and be a long line of free thinkers and free
> > creators of art without the artifice and having only truth as our
> > standard and reason for being. With this rationale, please accept
> > my offering...(he posts a poem)

Good enough intro for me. Seems like a nice enough guy. So I replied with:

> > Welcome, Lurker Ernie :p Glad to finally be able to read a part of
> > your soul. Very nice!

And I meant it! The poem was very nice. His reply:

"You're very kind and generous with your welcome. Although I was hoping for a more detailed reaction/critique, you had been the the very first to respond for which I am very grateful."

Okay, still nice enough, but there was that bit of scolding that I should've done better than say "Very nice!" I dunno what else he wanted me to say. I'm not so good with commenting on poems, that's the truth. I only know if I like it. Maybe it would've been better if I said it sucked? But anyway, I let it pass.

Now, his comment for someone else's poem:

"Ka Robert,
I find 'if only' the fascinating disjointed ramblings of a mind twice burnt now stranded by fear of making a choice. But then again if it is just adolescent remorse- get over it."

Is it me or is this guy starting to stink? Now, his comment about my OBSESSION...

"Yo Li'l Dove,
'Obsession' is like an exercise on the unbridled use of adjectives, too much information too soon. You need to hold back and tantalize your reader with just enough to whet his appetite for details. Then again if you just were aiming to write a forgettable Harlequin pulp love story copy, then ignore this counsel."

Alright, I appreciate his comments, really, I do. But you know, it's the way he said it. I am really starting to feel a "Hey, ain't I great" attitude here. It's like he didn't write that first post...Next:

"Yo, Melissa,
It is indeed beautiful, this Ed Labadia version of Desiderata in Tagalog. Knowing the limitations of our national language, he did a remarkable work of translation although one feels it is of the Balagtas variety rather than the more current Liwayway. The challenge still remains for the Filipino poet to create something original in a living language that will rejoice in a revelation of truth rather than perpetuate obscurity."

Okay, not really a bad comment, but having read his other comments, I feel like this guy thinks he is this excellent writer and some sort of authority. Well, maybe he is, but you know, while we're not looking for sugar-coating, maybe a little more respect is needed although I must say he's presently much tamer.I've seen this type of behavior in other groups before so I shudder to think he'll be "showing" the same stinker in my group!

I really hope he leaves...