Words can praise it. of what you must experience taste Nor believe will speak sincerely praising anything.
To Achieve War
he has the quality of a sphinx when it comes drops in like the same great change selected to achieve war.
I had thought of publishing these two miniature poetry collages separately, but I like them like this, as if they were somehow meant to go together. Anyway, you can find them both in my Etsy shop, along with Penny Harvests and my chapbook, Seven Road & Other Poems.
Love the form!
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Thank you!
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A wonderful symbiosis between the subject matter and message with the medium of collage with found objects.
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Thank you! I’m happy you think so.
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Wonderful!
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Thanks!
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I really like this piece…what was the specific message you were conveying? I love to hear a writer’s process and development behind a piece. Sometimes, what I take from it is different from what the poet was expressing…but that’s what I love about words…rich with meaning and interpretation, there are often varying perspectives on a piece and different understandings which make for great discussion 🙂
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Well, I find my process with “found” poetry is different from my normal writing process. With these collages, I restrict myself to a few paragraphs of text, usually an advertisement or other snippet from a vintage magazine that’s caught my eye because of its use of imagery, variety of sentence structure, point of view, etc. What I do to combine the words is a whole lot like playing. (It is actually great fun.) And I find the resulting meaning is often a surprise to me—that is, I never begin with a set intention. Meaning sort of makes itself. The first collage, I think, is a statement about faith and values. About having a place for God, or you’ll end up creating false idols, worshiping anything you’re told. In the second, I wanted very badly to incorporate some of the WWII art that appears in a 1945 Life magazine. I think the text ends up making a comment on our current political situation, though. And the idea that promises of great hope, change, and unity are always a bunch of false mirrors. And are never intended to deliver what’s promised. Thank you for asking about these! I, too, enjoy these kinds of conversations. 🙂
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Thanks so much for sharing your process! It really is such a delight for me to hear about a writer’s journey to what they share with the world. And so much of your meaning really came through. I felt what you were trying to convey. “Drops in like the same great change” really spoke clearly to me… promises made, with no intention of ever being kept by the minds of our sphinx leaders who seem to strangle the very voices they say they are “protecting.”
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Yes, indeed. When that little poem came together, I felt it was an appropriate reflection of how I–and many of us–are feeling now. Unprotected for sure, betrayed, and sick and tired of all the “same great change(s)” that do absolutely nothing to help anybody–except make our leaders that much more powerful, of course. I appreciate the dialogue, and thank you for sharing your thoughts on these poems. I don’t know about you, but as a poet, I sometimes find it very difficult to interpret my own work. I always feel I learn something when readers share their thoughts and observations.
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I totally agree! Often, when I am asked about a poem I’ve written, I struggle to convey what I wished for the reader to absorb from its reading…but then, when I ask the reader their understanding of the poetry, I find deeper understanding myself and/or another interpretation that lends more depth to what I wanted to express…a true blessing. What a pleasure to converse with you 🙂
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And a pleasure to chat with you, my friend! I am very happy we’ve been able to connect. 🙂
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