14 April 2013

Poem 12 - An Erasure Poem



normality


women worked
         the work
and agriculture squatted
                           self-effacing

        woman
as she
    the watching
               experiences of person
all fully her

learned
                             imitating


watch
         gradually

maintaining
 who noticed
                  had developed

explain
             among the must

mysteries                          relationships

like say
      she

the moon
      
understanding time
                  

Sally Douglas

This was inspired by a poem by my friend Elly on her great poetry blog.  I chose a page at random from a book on my 'to be read'  pile, photocopied a page without looking at it, and struck through all but every sixth word. I then wrote out those unerased words in order, and tried to use space and typology to move them into a kind of meaning. I allowed myself to lose a few of the words that I felt detracted, but I kept the order the same as the original. It was a bit of fun, and it's the kind of exercise that helps free up one's brain from its sometimes crippling need to be in control!

I'm afraid it does rather have a feel of the early 1970s to it, but I shall leave it to the reader to move into the spaces and take charge of the meaning...

Oh, and I'm a couple of poems behind now with my NaPoWriMo target, but I'm aiming to be caught up by the end of the week... I hope.









 

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