File under 'Will never be published' (no. 13): Dolores Ipsum
Background: Lorem Ipsum is well-known text used by people who do print and web layout. I came across it over a decade ago when I took a computer course, filed it away in the back of my mind, and moved on with my life without doing any print or web layout.
The thinking behind using the text is that words are needed to know what print will look like, but it needs to be print that doesn't necessarily mean anything.
This is what is used. It's based on Cicero:
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.
The actual Cicero text means something along the lines of, "No one desires to obtain pain for its own sake, because it is pain, but occasionally circumstances occur in which pain can bring great pleasure."
A couple of years ago, I wrote a series of poems about women based on historical writings. I thought about the Cicero and thought it was a very feminine thing, changing shape to be whatever a man needed. I changed 'dolorem ipsum' to Dolores Ipsum and off I went, with the result below.
Why it will never be published: Do you really need to ask? It's a bit obscure and requires a lot of explanation. Poetry shouldn't need this much explanation.
Why I wrote this blog post today: Open Culture tweeted about it and I had a flashback. What are the odds that someone else would be interested in the origins of nonsense text?
I’m waiting
patiently.
Cicero wants me
to wait,
So here I sit,
holding my shape,
Just as he told
me.
He said, “Lean
your head a bit to the left”:
Like so.
He said, “No,
perhaps to the right”:
Yes,
sir.
My aim is to
please with my pain
Because it is
my duty and because I am good.
I know I am
silly with my nonsensical Latin
That does
nothing but take up space
Until he can fill it with his words
Full of meaning and wisdom.
Until he can fill it with his words
Full of meaning and wisdom.
I take pleasure
in the words of Cicero.
I reject my own
meaning for his
Because his
words are better,
Whether right
Or left.
It’s just as
Cicero explained:
“Dolores, no
one likes pain.”
He needs me
to wait here,
And so, I wait with my ache.
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