Poetry Artist Statement
Perhaps the most powerful aspect of poetry can be discovered only through hours of deciphering, working to discover the deepest meaning of the words and phrases, peeling the poem back layer by layer, each time learning something new. Throughout our studies of poetry this year in Humanities, I discovered that the most piercing poems contained a mysterious aspect. When the time came to craft my own poem, I was inspired to bring the mysterious aspect I adored in other poems into the content of my own poem. The most mysterious aspect of my poem is the identity of “that which hides behind the curtain.” In an attempt to challenge my reader, I used this phrase to refer to violence, without ever identifying it. This anonymity left the poem open-ended, allowing the reader to determine the message of the poem. The identification of “that which hides behind the curtain” would quickly lead the reader to the message of the poem: peace is desired by most but is unachievable until desired by all.
The most popular and commonly known poetic devices are similes and metaphors, which compare two unlike things. One form of poetry, called a tredecim, contains thirteen lines, is arranged in three stanzas, and is composed entirely of similes and metaphors. Inspired by “Ways of Seeing a Tombstone” by Robert K. Keim, the tredecim contained in my poem describes the horrors of violence. In an attempt to spread imagery throughout my entire poem, I strategically placed each stanza of the tredecim in different parts of the poem. I included this tredecim to show the readers many different aspects in violence.
To enhance the reader’s experience, I added other poetic devices throughout my poem such as alliteration, imagery, turn, and personification. Out of these, turn, or a change in tone, is one of the most powerful. After focusing on violence throughout my poem, the turn at the end of the poem helps bring the focus of the poem back to the idea of what the entire world is working to achieve, peace. The alliteration found throughout my poem is another powerful aspect of my poem: “It induces our pain. A smirk smeared sloppily / Across its face.” Alliteration, or the repetition of initial consonant sounds, is a simple technique that has the ability to draw the reader into the poem and entices the reader to continue reading the poem. Also, imagery, or words or phrases that appeal to any sense or any combination of senses, is constant throughout my poem: “The tattered bodies draped with spoiled rags / Drowning in their pungent blood and / Their mother’s tears.” Imagery has the power to make or break a poem, so when I was crafting this poem, I took a lot of time to ensure that imagery was present throughout my poem. Finally, personification, a figure of speech, which gives animals, ideas, or inanimate objects human traits or abilities, has the power to give a poem a spark. Violence is personified constantly throughout my poem, but I’ve also personified other elements in my poem: “How can we ignore our brains and souls and instincts / and pull the trigger anyways? / Releasing the bullet that dances through the air.” This personification combined with the many other poetic devices used throughout my poem helped me create a powerful and piercing poem.
The most popular and commonly known poetic devices are similes and metaphors, which compare two unlike things. One form of poetry, called a tredecim, contains thirteen lines, is arranged in three stanzas, and is composed entirely of similes and metaphors. Inspired by “Ways of Seeing a Tombstone” by Robert K. Keim, the tredecim contained in my poem describes the horrors of violence. In an attempt to spread imagery throughout my entire poem, I strategically placed each stanza of the tredecim in different parts of the poem. I included this tredecim to show the readers many different aspects in violence.
To enhance the reader’s experience, I added other poetic devices throughout my poem such as alliteration, imagery, turn, and personification. Out of these, turn, or a change in tone, is one of the most powerful. After focusing on violence throughout my poem, the turn at the end of the poem helps bring the focus of the poem back to the idea of what the entire world is working to achieve, peace. The alliteration found throughout my poem is another powerful aspect of my poem: “It induces our pain. A smirk smeared sloppily / Across its face.” Alliteration, or the repetition of initial consonant sounds, is a simple technique that has the ability to draw the reader into the poem and entices the reader to continue reading the poem. Also, imagery, or words or phrases that appeal to any sense or any combination of senses, is constant throughout my poem: “The tattered bodies draped with spoiled rags / Drowning in their pungent blood and / Their mother’s tears.” Imagery has the power to make or break a poem, so when I was crafting this poem, I took a lot of time to ensure that imagery was present throughout my poem. Finally, personification, a figure of speech, which gives animals, ideas, or inanimate objects human traits or abilities, has the power to give a poem a spark. Violence is personified constantly throughout my poem, but I’ve also personified other elements in my poem: “How can we ignore our brains and souls and instincts / and pull the trigger anyways? / Releasing the bullet that dances through the air.” This personification combined with the many other poetic devices used throughout my poem helped me create a powerful and piercing poem.