Poetry Friday.
Just in case you have somehow missed it, April is Poetry Month!
So, on this first #PoetryFriday of Poetry Month, I decided to share a poem about poetry that I found in words of Seamus Heaney. In case you don’t know Seamus Heaney, here’s a one-line introduction.
“Beloved Irish poet, playwright, and translator Seamus Heaney was the recipient of innumerable awards, including the 1995 Nobel Prize for Literature, and was noted in his lifetime as the best-read living poet in the world.” –Maria Popova
And now for the poem I found.
Poetry’s Power
Poetry has power
To persuade that
vulnerable part of our consciousness
of rightness
in spite of evidence of wrongness
To remind us
we are hunters and gatherers of values
To reopen the subject
with something new
from a different angle
To entrance you
for a moment
above your consciousness
above your possibilities
Then there is hope.
A poem found in the words of Seamus Heaney
© 2017 Alice Nine
Source of my found poem.
The following are excerpts from an interview with Seamus Heaney, quoted by Maria Popova on BrainPickings. I have put the words I used in the poem in bold.
Seamus Heaney in Paris Review interview
The form of the poem … is crucial to poetry’s power {I took liberty here because the possessive form means “has”} to do the thing which always is and always will be to poetry’s credit: the power to persuade that vulnerable part of our consciousness of its rightness in spite of the evidence of wrongness all around it, the power to remind us that we are hunters and gatherers of values, that our very solitudes and distresses are creditable, in so far as they, too, are an earnest of our veritable human being.
[…]
I think the poet who didn’t feel the pressure at a politically difficult time would be either stupid or insensitive.
[…]
Debate doesn’t really change things. It gets you bogged in deeper. If you can address or [to] reopen the subject with something new, something from a different angle, then there is some hope. … People are suddenly gazing at something else and pausing for a moment. And for the duration of that gaze and pause, they are like reflectors of the totality of their own knowledge and/or ignorance. That’s something poetry can do for you, it can [to] entrance you for a moment above the pool of your own consciousness and your own possibilities.
Writing about my writing.
You create a found poem from words and phrases that that you find in another person’s words. Any kind of text can be used. Just pick words, phrases, and lines that catch your attention, that you like, that speak to you, that carry a message as they go together. Then formatted these excerpts to compose a poem. I work to keep the words in their found order, and I add or change as little as possible. The poem may be on the same topic as the original text, or it may take you to a totally different topic. Anything is possible.
- Easier to write if you have some words and ideas
- Tends to eliminate writer’s block
- Requires noticing words and phrases which supports word growth
- Requires paying attention to multiple meanings of words
- Encourages use of words you might not have thought of
- Recasts prose in poetic form
- Supports insightful reading and creative thinking and writing
I first saw a blackout poem posted on social media. I didn’t pay much attention to it because I’d rather highlight found words and arrange them in poetic form on a clean sheet of paper than black out with markers the ones I wasn’t going to use. That just seemed like a lot of extra work, and I didn’t like the blackness of the final product.
Then I read about Austin Kleon, author, cartoonist, web designer, and creator of the blackout poem as a technique to overcome writer’s block. I like how Austin Kleon defines himself: “I’m a writer who draws. I make art with words and books with pictures.” I watched his how to video and read some of his poems. Intrigued, I searched further and found the website of John Carroll, a maker of blackout poetry. His story is fascinating, a personal journey out of heartbeak through the making of blackout poetry. You will want to view the gallery of blackout poems. I was amazed when I did — at the words, the messages, and the artistic blackout techniques. Now I’m interested in trying my hand at the blackout version.
I also find it interesting that the blackout technique was first used to overcome writer’s block and that it also played a role in healing heartbreak and depression. Perhaps the time spent blacking out the unused words so a message of chosen words became visible was as important as the making of the poem, maybe more important.
I can clearly see the potential of creating blackout poems in the classroom. And I’m sure the student who resists recopying would love it.
National Poetry Month,
a literary celebration inaugurated
by the Academy of American Poetry
Irene at Live Your Poem is hosting
the Poetry Friday Roundup today.
Join us there! Thank you, Irene!
Poetry Friday Schedule: 2017 January – June.
Poetry Friday Guidelines
More about Poetry Friday
“we are hunters and gatherers of values” — yes! Great explanation of how to create a found poem from an interview, Alice.
Those words about being hunters and gatherers were the ones that made me decide to create the found poem. I wanted to preserve them for myself. I’m glad you came by!
I love Austin Kleon’s work, his blackout poems, and your found poem…so filled with truth and hope!
So glad you came by, Mary Lee Hahn!
Wonderful information and links here, Alice! I too have stumbled over Kleon in the past and really enjoyed his work. And your post reminds too, that I must read more of Seamus Heaney!
Thanks for coming by, Violet. 🙂
As a librarian, I cringe when I have to throw away a book. Thanks for the reminder on how to re-purpose them!
🙂 I know that feeling!
I, too, am a fan of writing found poetry. It feels so much less intimidating than the blank page. Your poem is terrific!
I’d never heard of blackout poetry, though. Thanks for the info and links. I’m now following John Carroll on Instagram.
Wonderful! And take a look at katswhiskers’ comment. she mentions “zentangle poetry” which is the art incorporated into the blackout poetry. Check out her post https://katswhiskers.wordpress.com/2016/06/17/word-art-zentangle-poetry/
I’ve written found poetry and seen examples of blackout poetry, but I did not know the history behind them. Thank you for teaching me something new today.
And I’ve learned a bit more from katswhiskers. Check out her comment; she mentions “zentangle poetry” which is the art incorporated into the blackout poetry. Check out her post https://katswhiskers.wordpress.com/2016/06/17/word-art-zentangle-poetry/
Wow! That’s so cool! Hunters and gatherers, indeed—of ideas and words and so much more. What a thoughtful, rich contribution to PF. So glad I stopped by today. Have a great week.
Thanks, Linda. In katswhiskers’ comment, she mentions “zentangle poetry” which is the art incorporated into the blackout poetry. Check out her post https://katswhiskers.wordpress.com/2016/06/17/word-art-zentangle-poetry/
Your poem reminds me of this tweet by @GabiZolezzi;
#Poetry has the power to convey the atrocities, as well as the joys of human nature in a way nothing else can. #english #etm3 #education
As to blackout poetry – I find it (and zentangle poetry) quite addictive. I’ve bought books from second hand shops purely for the poetry I create in them. 🙂
Thank you so much for sharing! I check out your post about zentangle poetry from last year. Miriam Paternoster’s video is incredible! I had wondered about using a book. I have a few I was going to discard; now I won’t!
Hi Alice, I’m going to keep your post because of all the wonderful links. I haven’t read much Seamus Heaney, but some. It’s a thoughtful poem you’ve “found”, and I liked this so much: “To persuade that/vulnerable part of our consciousness/of rightness.”
Linda, in katswhiskers’ comment, she mentions “zentangle poetry” which is the form with art incorporated onto the the page with blackout poetry. Check out her post https://katswhiskers.wordpress.com/2016/06/17/word-art-zentangle-poetry/
Your poem is a beauty, and I also enjoyed the background information on writing it!
I’m so glad you came by and enjoyed it. 🙂
Thanks for the introduction to this poet, Alice! “we are hunter and gatherers of values”-interesting way to think about it
Those words flew off the page when I was reading the interview. 🙂
Hadn’t seen this poem before. Such truth. Thank you!
So welcome, Jama! 🙂
“Then there is hope.” Something we could all use a bit more of these days. Beautiful. Thank you for sharing this.
May your week be hope-filled, Jane! 🙂
OH you found a beauty! Seamus Heaney wrote some beautiful poems, didn’t he? Thank you for bringing him to mind this morning. Happy Poetry Friday!
Thank you so much for stopping by to share! Happy weekend to you, Irene. 🙂
Lovely. I’m glad I found you today!
I am glad you did, too! 🙂