"A light catches somewhere, finds human spirit to burn on...it dwells: slowly the light, its veracity unshaken, dies but moves to find a place to break out elsewhere; this light, tendance, neglect is human concern working with what is." - A. R. Ammons
Thank you for posting this and for responding to a relevant social issue :) The issues presented in the poem are emotional and complex. The speaker considers several topics such as: “desperation” (7), “Fear” (8) and “rage” (10). Assessing what constitutes as negative emotions is an important part of the human spectrum of experience. The speaker considers these topics deeply and applies introspection as he or she discusses their effects which are related to a “consuming blindness” (4) and “fire” (1) – something that has the ability to take “control” (2) over an individual and run its course. The emotional content is synonymous to the overall structure of the poem which seems to mimic a sense of chaos and activity.
The inner workings of the poem appears to rebel against traditional use of punctuation or sentence structure, creating terse but animated descriptions. Each stanza exists independently of one another with a forceful avoidance of symmetry in both line and stanza length; I believe that this also successfully adds to the chaotic persona of the poem. The blunt content creates a tone that is terse but also methodical. Many of the descriptions in the poem are filled with consonance which creates harsh word sounds that stand out and isolate meaning as with “taking control” (2) and “consuming” (4) . This sense of isolation emphasizes what the content of the poem most likely attempts to construct: a thorough expression or action of empathy towards the negative or harmful side of the emotional spectrum.
The speaker considers emotional topics but also appeals to the physical senses: “no relief in the voice/ only silence” (5-6), considering what is audible or in this instance, what isn't. The thin structure of the poem which appears somewhat vertical, draws the eye down the page and urges the reader to finish the poem. The rush in the poem becomes more apparent as its content grows increasingly terse and in fact, “desperate” (7) to conclude: “Fear/ Fear...” (8-9). I think the language in the poem accomplishes to the same effect, what enjambment would normally produce within a poem; the urged sense to reach the bottom of the page while experiencing the poem's content at a quick pace. The rhythm of the poem mimics the content in the way that “rage” (10) can quickly appear unannounced, and concludes or subsides in the same manner.
There is a good sense of synergy present in the poem between form and content; a positive occurrence that is appearing more often in the workshop. Thank you for sharing and considering these social and emotional issues, which I find to be a good contemplation of the Indie poetry we've been hearing so much about. I look forward to your next poem :)
What's really cool about this poem is the inconsistent shifting of capitalisation. The word "Fear" (8-9) is capitalised as "Possession" (3) is, which associates them for me together; they seem to be both adjectives and nouns, and as the capitalisation can suggest a proper noun, Fear and Possession take on personified forms to me, as they might in a Chaucer tale (similarly to sisters Fame and Fortune in "House of Fame"). These descriptive words take on a state of being within the poem, giving the tone of the poem an intensified feeling -- and also giving an identity (and an equivalent word-reinforcement) to the "all consuming blindness"(4) to which you bring attention.
I like your word choise. The concept of "Possession" (3) gives an intense feeling to everything (as vague as that sounds), and the intensity of that feeling is accompanied by a claustrophobia as the syllables in the stanzas get shorter and breaths are taken closer together -- much like a hand closing in, taking possession of the words. It's well-placed, in my opinion. The way you've orchestrated where you place each word seems well-constructed.
Hello Chris,
ReplyDeleteThank you for posting this and for responding to a relevant social issue :) The issues presented in the poem are emotional and complex. The speaker considers several topics such as: “desperation” (7), “Fear” (8) and “rage” (10). Assessing what constitutes as negative emotions is an important part of the human spectrum of experience. The speaker considers these topics deeply and applies introspection as he or she discusses their effects which are related to a “consuming blindness” (4) and “fire” (1) – something that has the ability to take “control” (2) over an individual and run its course. The emotional content is synonymous to the overall structure of the poem which seems to mimic a sense of chaos and activity.
The inner workings of the poem appears to rebel against traditional use of punctuation or sentence structure, creating terse but animated descriptions. Each stanza exists independently of one another with a forceful avoidance of symmetry in both line and stanza length; I believe that this also successfully adds to the chaotic persona of the poem. The blunt content creates a tone that is terse but also methodical. Many of the descriptions in the poem are filled with consonance which creates harsh word sounds that stand out and isolate meaning as with “taking control” (2) and “consuming” (4) . This sense of isolation emphasizes what the content of the poem most likely attempts to construct: a thorough expression or action of empathy towards the negative or harmful side of the emotional spectrum.
The speaker considers emotional topics but also appeals to the physical senses: “no relief in the voice/ only silence” (5-6), considering what is audible or in this instance, what isn't. The thin structure of the poem which appears somewhat vertical, draws the eye down the page and urges the reader to finish the poem. The rush in the poem becomes more apparent as its content grows increasingly terse and in fact, “desperate” (7) to conclude: “Fear/ Fear...” (8-9). I think the language in the poem accomplishes to the same effect, what enjambment would normally produce within a poem; the urged sense to reach the bottom of the page while experiencing the poem's content at a quick pace. The rhythm of the poem mimics the content in the way that “rage” (10) can quickly appear unannounced, and concludes or subsides in the same manner.
There is a good sense of synergy present in the poem between form and content; a positive occurrence that is appearing more often in the workshop. Thank you for sharing and considering these social and emotional issues, which I find to be a good contemplation of the Indie poetry we've been hearing so much about. I look forward to your next poem :)
-Tara
Hey Chris,
ReplyDeleteWhat's really cool about this poem is the inconsistent shifting of capitalisation. The word "Fear" (8-9) is capitalised as "Possession" (3) is, which associates them for me together; they seem to be both adjectives and nouns, and as the capitalisation can suggest a proper noun, Fear and Possession take on personified forms to me, as they might in a Chaucer tale (similarly to sisters Fame and Fortune in "House of Fame"). These descriptive words take on a state of being within the poem, giving the tone of the poem an intensified feeling -- and also giving an identity (and an equivalent word-reinforcement) to the "all consuming blindness"(4) to which you bring attention.
I like your word choise. The concept of "Possession" (3) gives an intense feeling to everything (as vague as that sounds), and the intensity of that feeling is accompanied by a claustrophobia as the syllables in the stanzas get shorter and breaths are taken closer together -- much like a hand closing in, taking possession of the words. It's well-placed, in my opinion. The way you've orchestrated where you place each word seems well-constructed.
Can't wait to read more of your stuff.