Sunday Poetry XV -- Art Chirography or Concrete Poetry

second post on Art Chirography and Concrete (-ish) Poetry here

I'm not sold on the name "Art Chirography" (check the pieces yourself) as it seems generally to indicate a single word or short phrase written in such a way as to indicate an image.  Of course, this might be splitting hairs, but the idea here is that the poetry--the poem in its entirety--is shaped in such a way as to indicate visually something significant to the subject at hand.  At it's most basic, the form of the words are meant to graphically emphasize an element of the poem; at it's most abstruse (some might so obtuse -- (let's combine!: obstruse)), the picture itself (like a hieroglyph or even a "droodle") is a poetic representation of an idea.  The artistic/literary value of this particular branch of poetry is generally as critically derided as genre fiction.  So judge for yourself.  I will attempt to provide a wide variety of material for your perusal.


Swan and Shadow
by John Hollander

Dusk                               Above the                        water hang the                                          loud                                         flies                                        here                                      O so                                     gray                                    then                                  What                                A pale signal will appear                                 When                   Soon before its shadow fades                                Where              Here in this pool of opened eye                                  In us           No upon us As at the very edges                                   of where we take shape in the dark air                                     this object bares its image awakening                                      ripples of recognition that will                                        brush darkness up into light even after this bird this hour both drift by atop the perfect sad instant now                                        already passing out of sight                                       toward yet-untroubled reflection                                      this image bears its object darkening                                     into memorial shades Scattered bits of                                   light           No of water Or something across                                  water               Breaking up No Being regathered                                   soon                    Yet by then a swan will have                                     gone                              Yes out of mind into what                                      vast                                       pale                                         hush                                           of a                                             place                                               past                            sudden dark as                                       if a swan                                           sang

Concrete Cat
by Dorthi Charles

r-p-o-p-h-e-s-s-a-g-r

by E.E. Cummings

                                  r-p-o-p-h-e-s-s-a-g-r

                           who

       a)s w(e loo)k

       upnowgath

                       PPEGORHRASS

                                             eringint(o-

       aThe):l

                  eA

                      !p:

     S                                                         a

                               (r

       rIvInG                         .gRrEaPsPhOs)

                                                              to

       rea(be)rran(com)gi(e)ngly

       ,grasshopper;


frog . pond
bt Geof Huth

The Mouse's Tale
by Lewis Carroll

            Fury said to a mouse,
                 That he met in the
                        house, 'Let us
                           both go to law:
                            I will prosecute
                          you.-- Come, I'll
                         take no denial;
                       We must have
                     a trial: For
                   really this
                 morning I've
               nothing to do.'
                   Said the mouse
                         to the cur,
                           'Such a trial,
                              dear Sir, With
                                  no jury or
                                judge, would
                               be wasting
                           our breath.'
                        'I'll be
                   judge, I'll
                 be jury,'
               Said cunning
             old Fury:
                'I'll try
                  the whole
                    cause, and
                        condemn
                            you
                              to
                               death.'

If you want more like the video game controller above (and many more besides -- good and bad) just do a Google image search for "concrete poetry" (or click it).


So what do you think?  Gimmick, kitsch, or poetry?