Tag: practice

“Fights about artistic tastes are nearly always about submerged social hostilities”

Joseph M. GeraceLeave a comment

Wikipedia Poem, No. 685

Processed with VSCO with f2 preset

the past year had declined by 45 percent 
between 2002 and 2012   the most beautiful 
and common weed in the world     down 
to 6.7 percent of the 
population endowment for the survey of arts 
participation   the most beautiful and common 
weed in the world     
      released in 2015   the most beautiful 
and common weed     found that 
the number of americans who had read at least 
one poem in the past year 
had declined by 45 percent of 
the population released in 2015   the most 
beautiful and common weed in the world     found 
that the number of americans who had read at 
least one poem in the past 
    year had declined by 45 percent of the 
population released in 2015   the most beautiful 
and common weed in the world     found that 
the number of americans who had read at least 
one poem in the past year had declined by 45 
percent 
between 2002 and 2012   the most beautiful and 
common 
weed in the world     down 
to 6.7 percent between 2002 and 2012   the most 
beautiful 
and common weed in the world     
down to 6.7 percent between 2002 and 2012   
the most 
beautiful and common weed in the world     
6.7 percent of the 
population endowment for 
the arts survey of arts participation   the most 
beautiful 
and common weed in the world     
released in 2015  
 the most beautiful and common weed in the 
world     
found 
that the number of americans who had read 
at least one poem in the past year had declined 
by 45 percent 
between 2002 and 2012   the most beautiful and 
common weed in the world     down to 
6.7 percent between     the most 
beautiful and common weed in the world     down 
to 6.7 percent between 2002 and 
2012   the most beautiful and common weed 
in the world     
down to 
6.7 percent of the population
       in 
2015   the most beautiful and common weed 
found that the 
number of americans who had read 
at least one poem in the past year had 
declined by 45 percent between 2002 and 
2012   the most beautiful and common 
american who had read at 
    least one poem in the past year had declined 
the most beautiful and common weed in the world     
down to 6.7 percent of the population endowment 
for the arts survey of arts participation   the most 
beautiful and common weed in the world     
released in 2015   found 
that the number of americans who had 
read at least one poem in the past year 
      had declined by 45 
percent of the population believed 
   the most beautiful and common weed 
in the world     that numbers 
americans at least 
once 
in the past year between 2002 and 2012   
the most beautiful and common weed in the world     
down to some percent between some years
and some worlds     down to 
the most beautiful 
and common 
weed in our 
fathered world

Source: Wilson, Carl. “Why Rupi Kaur and Her Peers Are the Most Popular Poets in the World.” The New York Times, The New York Times Company, 15 Dec. 2017, www.nytimes.com/2017/12/15/books/review/rupi-kaur-instapoets.html.

inversion* of “Sexualizing Picasso on the Cross”

Joseph M. GeraceLeave a comment

 

Codger, old maid or bone-dry instep, a stagnant silence over cloud
Interior remains sneaking under—yes, me, yes, my polite
Infertility—uncooked acedia, never invulnerable frost
Protects a circle-bare sky or dank reverie of useless yttrium
Yields free under these asses, cool, must remain.

*here, an inversion is a poetic exercise in which one takes a poem (or some portion of a poem) and reforms each word, image or concept into an opposite. so, plainly, black may become white, water morphs into a photograph, or (in the above example) brimstone transubstantiates by way of the mirror to scaly, despairing yttrium, and so on. one must strip away the limits of reason: black does not need to become white, etc. there is no 1:1 relationship in the practice, and, frankly, anything goes: the platypus has no pure opposite. to apply an inversion on a word is usually a trifle, a line can be more difficult. still harder, a stanza or an entire poem as singular unit for reform. one should first thoroughly grasp connotation, denotation, implication, tone, musicality, color, volume, breath, etc., before one is able to charge ahead. the inversion is particularly helpful as an exercise to help break through writer’s block.

above, is an inversion of a work in progress called “Sexualizing Picasso on the Cross”

improv for problems, playoffs and plumbing [draft 2, 042220131826]

Joseph M. GeraceLeave a comment

Tin helmet to the blindside crumbled 
Week-old Italian bread 
Crushed over fresh arugula  

Titan got hit.

His mind green jelly baby puree
Squishing squirt of hot butter candied
Prophet peppermint pate

Look up from the pain 
Airbus A380 sky streaming, lickable bright
Cotton confetti a candy grey cloud, giving up.