Although I have plenty of flaws, I don't have anything I'd call a genuine insecurity--just fugitive doubts, particularly not about the value of my work and thoughts but about the ability of others to recognize and reward it. My greatest lean toward insanity is toward megalomania. I welcome negative criticism not to prove anything but to use it. As I said in a recent entry, "feedback, however negative, and however stupid, will always knock me back to (whatever drew it), where I may be able to improve it . . ." I went on to say that "I like to know what effect my poems have on others . . ." and that "my critic may say something that will help me." He'll also give me subject matter for this blog, as Mr. Anonymous above has, or for some other writing of mine.

Elsewhere, I said I welcome even the stupidest negative feedback--that is, unsupported insults--because I feel good knowing that my work bothers idiots enough for them to insult it, and that the idiots have no good criticisms of my work or, at any rate, couldn't think of any to use against it. Such feedback can also anger me, which is good. Anger is not some atavistic flaw the best of us have evolved away from, but remains as important for survival and higher endeavors as any emotion there is, for it energizes us to attack Evil (however we individually define it), improve whatever it is we consider The Good, and learn how best to carry out either activity. Do you really think someone's saying, "Uh, Algernon, my dear fellow, I believe there just may be the teeny-tiniest little thing off in the meter of your poem's third line," will get you to fix it as effectively as, "Algernon, you asshole, the meter in your poem's third line stinks?"

Now, then, Mr. Anonymous (who sounds a great deal like Marcus Bales, the only person I've traded words with on the Internet I consider an outright verosopath, Dan Schneider being only a Philistine), I ask you politely why you, an apparent opponent of negativity, asked me not simply why I welcomed negative feedback but belligerantly also if my "insecurities" were the reason. In any case, I thank you, for you gave me an easy entry to write.

Note: I got a slightly later message whose writer, "K," accused me of lying about the anonymity of comments made from this blog--because they're e.mail. All I know is that all comments arrive in my InBox with a return address of "[email protected]." That, for me, is anonymity.