Eyes

“Concrete poetry or Size poetry is poetry in which the typographical arrangement of words is as important in conveying the intended effect as the conventional elements of the poem, such as meaning of words, rhythm, rhyme and so on.

It is sometimes referred to as visual poetry, a term that has evolved to have distinct meaning of its own, but which shares the distinction of being poetry in which the visual elements are as important as the text.” ~ Wikipedia entry

Helix nebula

I have spent much of this last month simply looking, often without thought, at the world around me. Each elegant silhouette home to a cacophony of complexities and so everything it seems, is suddenly breaking into life. The night sky washed with stars, the mornings laced with delicious silences, each day bustling with the joys of nature's new found enthusiasm.

Photo by Claire Fletcher

To experience the world in this way feels, to me at least, remarkably refreshing. Hampered by an inward tilt, autumn and winter have seen much procrastinating. Now however, almost unexpectedly, I feel a sense of release, a lightness of mind. The layers of meaning remain but instead of fervently delving deeper there now exists a calmness, my eyes content at last to rest a while upon the surface of each moment before digesting it...

...so then, I offer up my latest attempt at concrete poetry:

Eyes

 The words for this piece rose shyly one evening...

Eyes - Zoom x1

...each letter emerging slowly, out from the depths of my mug before setting themselves upon the page.

Eyes - Zoom x2

Eyes

Tonight's sea of souls curiously bold
a shoal of eyes lie simmering beneath the moonlight,
patter of rings blinking upon the surface.

"...poetry is the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings; it takes its origin from emotion recollected in tranquility." ~ William Wordsworth

 The Ubuweb Anthology of Conceptual Writing, introduced and edited by Craig Douglas Dworkin

...poetry is that form which "does itself actually exist in the mind." ~ William Wordsworth

Further Links:

David Bellingham:

http://davidbellingham.com/DBtrial2/index.html

"Concrete Prose" - Haroldo de Camposs Galáxias and After:

http://epc.buffalo.edu/authors/perloff/perloff_decampos.html 

Zoe Catherine Kendall, Precious Creatures:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/zoecatherinekendall