William Michaelian - wonderful poet turned me on to the idea of drawing to force a poem. Well perhaps force is not the best word. I have been trying it - here and there and have thus added to my office several pieces of horrendous artwork and a couple of poems to work on. Here is my first attempt at drawing the poem and the poem that resulted. They have no connection, except for the act of drawing.
The Import of Drawing
I used
to draw in pencil.
Fearing my smudge.
Erasing mistakes,
misgivings.
Now I sketch with a
fine tipped plump
black
marker.
A new urgency
attends my scrawlings –
a desire to leave
a lasting mark.
Please comment as this poem is still being drafted
3 comments:
I like the overall idea, but the marker is "fine tipped" and "plump"? Hmmm...
And at the end, what if you focused on the marks themselves rather than the "urgency" and the "desire"? Keep the end as rooted in specifics as the rest, I mean...
I see you posted at 10:33 pm. Kids and wife abed. I remember those late hours well!
Scott, your drawing looks like a morning-after portrait of Nixon — both scorched and amalgamated! And if the tip is fine and the barrel is plump, well, so be it in this case: since the drawing and writing overlap, and since this is an experiment, it makes sense to notice and record both facts.
One other thing: try drawing without the expectation or desire of arriving at a poem.
Thanks for the comments. Things to think about when I return to this one.
Right now I think I am drawing to pass time during my writing "work time" - which more than often turns into goofing off time. So far though I have been able to write something after drawing - letting my mind wander during the artistic process helps I think.
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