poetry is music painted in black
the rhythm of consciousness
punctuated by the percussive
alliterations of tempo and touch
it is language drawn in curves and lines
a font of crystalline holiness
cast out in many colored clarity
it is melody meticulously wrought
in a harmonious dissonance of the discursive
it is fragrance emanating from image
constructed out of arbitrary significations
that are enabled by the elimination of artificial
dichotomies between logic and imagination
between feeling and touch between
form and content color and line
the rhythm of consciousness
punctuated by the percussive
alliterations of tempo and touch
it is language drawn in curves and lines
a font of crystalline holiness
cast out in many colored clarity
it is melody meticulously wrought
in a harmonious dissonance of the discursive
it is fragrance emanating from image
constructed out of arbitrary significations
that are enabled by the elimination of artificial
dichotomies between logic and imagination
between feeling and touch between
form and content color and line
posted by Rob Gray at 7:27 PM
6 Comments:
Love this. I've always considered poetry, a word painting or musical cadence of words. Joyce Norman forwarded it to me. We are both in Birmingham. Vist me if you get a chance.
perlespoems.blogspot.com
perlesink.blogspot.com
Hi Rob.. Hope you're loving Mobile! I really enjoyed this poem, as well as the one dedicated to HIV mothers & the one on Feb 13th. And if only for the usage of "sesquepedalian", your first submission in Oct '06. Being somewhat of a word nerd, I have long loved the way sesquepedalian rolls off the tongue. =) Kudos on these, my friend! However, I'll reserve comment on the others which appear to be diametrically opposed to everything you seemed to embrace prior to entrenchment in academia.
Hugs to you, Kim & the kids...
Julie L.
PS - It would be great to see you all when you're visiting back home.
Julie,
Great to hear from you! How did you find the site?
There are several other poems in the archives, some of which undoubtedly will further affirm my "entrenchment in academia," but perhaps you will like some of them, especially the first one from November '05.
In my defense, however, I don't think that much is diametrically opposed to what I seemed to embrace in my youth. I don't think I was ever too much of a racist redneck, but if I was, I must be thankful to God for letting me transcend that ignorance.
And if you are referring to the religious questioning, I've always been that way (you can blame it on Dad), but keep in mind that many of these poems, in that regard, are exercises in philosophical (as well as metaphysical and epistemological) inquiry and commentary.
Just don't be too quick to pin me down based on something said in a poem. Besides, the highest praise I've gotten for the "Jesus in Montgomery" poem has been from prominent members (i.e., the priest and vestry) of the Episcopalian church we belong to here in Mobile.
Rob,
LOL... No, I don't think you were ever a redneck racist, but it's good to see in your response that you're thankful to God, not god, for that. ;)
As far as how I arrived at your site, your Dad sent me (and others) the link several months ago, around the time of the HIV mothers poem, and I've been periodically checking out your latest missives ever since. I think he's really proud of how well you're doing... and I'm glad to hear you're doing well too.
I've enjoyed several of your works, and beyond jokingly poking you about your "entrenchment", I'm actually curious about your process. I know how it comes for me, but each writer is unique. Do you feel that your poems are more a product of your intellect or of your emotions? For example, if called upon at any given time, could you just sit down with pen & paper (or computer keyboard) and write.. or do you need to feel a spark of inspiration before anything will flow? Just honestly curious about how it is for you...
Oh, and don't worry that I've pinned you down to one set state of belief or being because of the content of a single poem. If that were the case, I'd have to do the same concerning my own writing. Yikes!
Love to you & the family,
Julie
I don't know if my poems come more from emotion or intellect, but I would think that they tend to start more from the latter. However, I have long felt that good poetry makes you think or feel deeply, and great poetry makes you do both, so whichever side a poem starts on, it is always my goal to push it over to the other one.
As for how my poems happen, they almost always happen after moments of inspiration. I very rarely sit down in search of something to write. Rather, I just wait on something to come to me, then play with it in my head for a few days, and then sit down and type it out.
The Jesus poem was a little different, though. I was driving through Montgomery on my way back to Mobile and saw a bum almost get hit in the median. When I looked in my rearview mirror, he looked just like Jesus. I debated for a minute or so about whether I should give him a ride (this, of course, after years of hearing that such people could well be angels in disguise), but then I realized that my car was full of books and furniture and that it would have been crazy to pick that guy up.
Over the next several minutes, however, I started putting lines together and decided to pull over and write it all down. I was conscious of the many directions the poem could be written (and read) and tried to be very careful to keep it from pointing too strongly in any of them so that it could be open to all of those readings.
One of my proudest moments as a poet was when a friend from church down here told me that he led a 90 minute discussion on the poem in his EFM class.
Take care and hopefully our paths will cross soon!
Rob
Thanks, Rob... I appreciate you taking the time to share your personal experience of the inspiration, process & execution of a work. And I think it's great that your writing has engendered inspiration in others. You have good reason to be proud of that.
Love & blessings to you & yours...
Julie
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