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| Shot by my granddaughter in Italy this summer near Pompei © Addison Old |
This is a Dada poem taken from Charles Miller's article on FormForAll June 6, 2013. Since I was missing in action then, it's an opportunity for me to try my hand at it. I took the words from two sources: Nabokov's Letters and Neruda's love poem: A Song of Desire. It was kind of fun to do, although I must admit, like the cento I wrote which was very satisfying, it doesn't much feel like it's really my work somehow. It's more like my edit, but less so here since I'm just picking and choosing words at random. Let me know what you think.
I owe my first smile on earth to imagination.
Creatures enjoy the supreme delight
of becoming aware, talkative,
having a vivdness of mind.
Thinking should be limited.
It flashes with platitudes and obstructs
itself with wisecracks. Highbrows are
usually wrong. They spout nonsense.
"Literature is low, a crazy quilt of bits.
Be ambitious - free the slaves or something."
Draw a shadow on the wall like a jar.
Fill it with oblivion.
Girdle distance like the sea; like song birds,
assault the kiss.
Spell the hour with desire
then like sadness
let it sink,
shattered.
© Gay Reiser Cannon 7.18.13 * All Rights Reserved
Ahh... I especially like the last stanza, Gay.
ReplyDeleteI do too, Laurie. I got much better words from Neruda than Nabokov; but I thought the juxtaposition of the two would be pretty DADA. Ha.
Deleteha. highbrow are usually wrong...i like that...you did really well for a dada...that first line is cool as i am imagining a baby..the delight of awareness...thinking should be limited...ha...that last stanza does have a magic to it...cool gay
ReplyDeleteI loved it,Gay. And you're right...I wouldn't have recognized it as "you," but what a great thing to be able to stretch your creative muscles and succeed. I've written one dada poem and it's not me either, but it was fun to play with.
ReplyDeleteThis is really cool!
ReplyDeleteInterestingly, any of the stanzas might stand on its own. I especially like your last one. It has a romantic feel to it.
ReplyDeleteI enjoy challenging myself with the creation of "found" poems but unlike some I don't use whole phrases or strings of words; just individual words that I put together in a wholly new way. (There's a found poetry review online, by the way; one of its challenges was to create a poem from David Foster Wallace text. I submitted two.)
Creating a cento is fun, too. For this month's theme at TweetSpeak, I wrote a poem using only rock n' roll song titles. The thing about a cento is, no one else is likely to put the same lines together as you might. What results can be highly original.
So glad you are back posting. I always enjoy your work.
Thank you for letting me know about those, Maureen. I appreciate your reading my work and commenting more than I can say. Thanks for that too!
DeleteCreatures enjoy the supreme delight
ReplyDeleteof becoming aware, talkative,
having a vivdness of mind.
I enjoyed this very much--this technique is a great way to stretch out, find new combinations of sound and word we wouldn't normally try. Great job!
You grabbed me with the first line, Gay. I think since you picked the words, your voice still rings through. I remember the fun I had doing a Dada verse; but like found poetry, it kind of feels counterfeit. I have worked from word lists a lot too, and many of those efforts came out well. It seems to be like a music arranger, started with the core of someone else's notes, you infuse your personality on the melody.
ReplyDeleteI like the first stanza and the last stanza, Gay. I am going be be honest though and say that I really like your own original poetry better. It is a way to stretch a bit as Nico said, but I would rather read the words a poet came up with rather than words of others that a poet arranged. That being said, you did well with the form.
ReplyDeleteI know, Mary. I think it's because it lacks a little cohesiveness. It has a bit of a turn where it turns from first person to second and that was influenced by the quotes of Nabokov. The Neruda words seemed (even individually chosen) to have that liquidity his poetry always does. I appreciate your comments. Thank you!
DeleteGreat poem!! Absolutely wonderful opening line!! :-)
ReplyDeleteGosh I really loved these lines: Draw a shadow on the wall like a jar.
ReplyDeleteFill it with oblivion. I agree all stanzas could be poems on their own. Excellent poem very much enjoyed. :)
Oh, good God, Gay, this is stunning. What a mingling. I love "assault the kiss"
ReplyDeleteThe final stanza is superb.
ReplyDeletei love what you did with this gay - i found dada really difficult cause you have to make sth. your own that is not - and also take the snippets and somehow make sense - you did well with it
ReplyDeleteHow can I refrain from repeating that the last stanza is perfect. Great dada work an such a fun prompt.
ReplyDeleteGay, I was thrilled to see your post, I haven't been here for so long - I was away for a while too.
ReplyDeleteThis sings of freedom to me.
I really like what you were able to do with this! I have yet to try the dada, it seems like it would be difficult to come up with something cohesive and as you said, make it sound like "you". I too especially enjoyed that final stanza...although I like the second quite a bit as well. :-)
ReplyDeleteHoly crap, this is fabulous! I LOVE the last stanza especially. Nice!
ReplyDeleteWonderful... I liked the last few verses in particular. Overall, a splendid read indeed! :-)
ReplyDeleteIt's unlike much of your writing, Gay, but it's beautiful, memorable, free...
ReplyDeleteI didn't try either this or the Cento when they first came around; somehow, as you say, it does feel a bit counterfeit. However, for the 2nd Anniversary prompt I combined the Cento with the Miltonian sonnet form - drawing lines from Gray's elegy. I suspect that the idea is original, even if none of the lines are.
ReplyDeleteYour work here is stunning; I would never have known it was a found poem if you had not said so.