Готика в моей жизни
Позвонила Лилах. Спрашивает: "Что читаешь?"
- Вот, - говорю, - только что распечатала две статьи: Ильи ВиницкогоОбщество мертвых поэтов. Спиритическая поэзия как культурный феномен второй половины XIX века и фрагмент из книги Джалаля Тоуфика ((Vampires): An Uneasy Essay on the Undead in Film, 2nd ed. Sausalito, CA: The Post-Apollo Press, 2003.)
А, - говорит Лилах, - так у тебя готический период!
Я сперва опешила, а потом, вспомнив ещё и Мастерскую Призраков, не без брезгливости рассматривавшуюся вчера в архивах газеты "Гвардиэн", не могла не согласиться.

Не желаете ли поучаствовать в Ghostly Workshops, господа?
Для этого следует лишь поразмыслить над несколькими вопросами:
1. If you were a ghost what kind of ghost would you be? To answer this it might be helpful to begin by thinking about your ghostly motivations: where do you make your presence felt? Whom do you choose to haunt, and why?

2. Deciding these things will help you to find the tone of your poem - are you, for instance, a vengeful ghost haunting the scene of past wrongs? Or a protective ghost watching over those you love? Or a mischievous poltergeist enjoying the chaos you bring to a house? Are you trying to communicate something important, or are you merely a watchful ghost, content to observe the living? You might want to think about whether you are a solitary spirit or if there are others around you.

3. Think about how you manifest yourself. Are you invisible, silent, noticeable only as a change of temperature, or a creak on the staircase? Or are you able to communicate in some way, through words or noises or dreams? If you have a visible appearance, what is it? Think of some of the cliches of ghostliness and either avoid them, or try to explore them from the inside: how does it feel to walk through a wall, or carry your head under your arm? Perhaps you only appear once a year, or in certain kinds of light or weather. Traditionally, we think about ghosts appearing at night, but you might be a morning or a tea-time ghost.

4. Next I want you to think about the effect you have on the living. Do they notice you? Do you appear only to certain people and not to others? Are they happy, sad, or terrified by your presence? Is anyone trying to exorcise you?

5. Finally, think about the future. Are you fading away? Are you trapped in a place forever, or can you choose to leave, or turn into something else? If you had one wish as a ghost, what would it be?

За сим можно ознакомиться со стихами самой Эллен Морган, явно написанным по здравому размышлению над теми же самыми вопросами, и с дополнительной парочкой образцов.
Так можно и не только о призраках писать, но и о войне в Иране (возвращаясь ко вчерашним размышлениям о величии поэзии).

Любопытно, а в Литературном институте как учат стихи писать? Поделитесь, знающие люди!