[New-Poetry] Art of Finding, Linda Gregg's essay

[Suzanne Burns]

On 12/19/06, JforJames at aol.com <JforJames at aol.com> wrote:
>
>
>  Bob, I think you'll like it...it's partly advocating using our visual
> senses more fully,
> with deep scrutiny and a wide-open aperture. Something that a vizpo poet
> couldn't too strenously disagree with.
>

I haven't read the essay yet, so I won't comment more fully. I just wanted
to respond to what Jim said.

The only problem I have with this thesis is that it comes across as "fuzzy
hippy talk" for lack of a better phrase-- its easy to agree with.  In fact
agreement is ubiquitous.  I mean for heaven's sake what poet is going to
disagree with this?  Its too general.  Of course we all advocate "using our
visual senses more fully, with deep scrutiny and a wide-open aperture", and
finding what is inside the poem!  Everyone is going to nod their head in
reverent agreement and ignore the fact that it doesn't actually say much.

How many poets honestly sit down to write and think "Yo! I think I will
write something today that doesn't deliver the content of the poem and while
we're at it, I'll deliver it dead!   Muwwaaahh!"  And please don't tell me
that this is what language poets aim to do-- they don't. Their content might
be the nuances and music of language, but that is still content.  It might
*seem* to you that a poet you dislike is doing that, but realistically
speaking that probably isn't true.

The real issue is what *is* inside the poem-- and you really can only
address that by looking at actual poems and taking them on their own terms.
How the poem succeeds or fails at its goal is never going to be summed up as
just one thing.  There just isn't any crafty technique that is going to help
you.

Back when I taught it was always a challenge to get my students to go beyond
the subjective.  I really had to train them in the art of the "I" statement
when critiquing a poem.  "This is very alive and beautiful.  There is really
something inside this poem" doesn't actually say very much that is useful
because it begs the question "Yeah... and...this means what?"   "Alive" and
"beautiful"  means one thing to one person and something completely
different to another.  And "Oh, there is nothing real inside this!" wafted
out without anything more substantial to back it up sounds to me like an
easy way to dismiss something just because you don't particulary like or
"get" it.

My two bits,

Suzanne
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