Writing is an act of creation, and writing extremely short poetry, such as haiku, is challenging; most importantly, writing with fresh and vibrant language and evocative imagery is time consuming and mentally exhausting unless you find some way to "make it NEW" (Ezra Pound’s (1885–1972) modernist imperative, for the topics you're interested in or dedicated to.
A new way to write haiku, long considered "a poetry of nouns," is to use a noun as a verb, which is called denominalization, that can create surprising, dynamic and effectiveness freshness.
For example, written in a traditional style with an effective denominal verb infused with concrete imagery and symbolic richness, the following haiku
he digs
I daffodil
forty-odd autumns
Kingfisher, 7, 2023
Michele Root-Bernstein
Structurally and syntactically speaking, Nichele's haiku alludes to the following haiku about the departure of friends:
I go
you stay --
two autumns
Masaoka Shiki (often wrongly attributed to Yosa Buson)
Thematically speaking, L3 of Michele's makes this seasonal activity in Ls 1&2 intimate, decades-long bonding between a couple. And this denominal verb, daffodil, fresh and natural, fits smoothly with the verb in L1,"digs," and it is layered with multiple meanings: the speaker is plopping daffodil bulbs into the holes that her partner is digging or she is "flowering" in some way...
Another example, written in response to the following remark:
In a war situation or where violence and injustice are prevalent, "poetry is called upon to be something more than a thing of beauty."
-- Seamus Heaney, an Irish poet, playwright and translator who received the 1995 Nobel Prize in Literature
The latest entry of Against the Drowning Noise of Other Words, XCI: "Gaza's air"
smell of Gaza's air
the ravens blizzard
to blast craters
The noun, "blizzard," which originally means a severe snowstorm with "high winds and low visibility," is used to be an action verb to describe "cloud after cloud of black ravens" flying fast, L2, to blast craters, L3, in war-torn Gaza that smells badly, L1, because of rotting/rotten body parts buried under rubble , scattered garbage, raw sewage ... under the scorching heat.
This denominal verb, blizzard, not only shows the FORCE and IMPACT, visual and psychological, of ravens flying fast to rotting/rotten body parts, but also sends a CHILL down the reader's spine.
In contrast with my shasei (sketch from life), more descriptive/static, haiku below:
ceasefire
a hand in the rubble
gathering crows
The Bamboo Hut, Summer 2019
Added on September 12, 2024
childhood lake
laughter after laughter
Pollocking my face
A major figure in the abstract expressionist movement, Paul Jackson Pollock was in/famously known for his "drip technique" of pouring or splashing liquid household paint onto a horizontal surface. "Pollocking" is used to be an action verb for splashing water with Spontaneity and Vibrancy like the way Pollock splashed liquid paint onto the canvas on his studio floor (as shown in the movie, Pollock, 2000, confident, insightful work, one of the year's best movies.).
This denominal verb, "Pollocking," is infused with more emotional and visual significance than "splashing." Ls 2&3 mean children splashing water, with spontaneity and vibrancy, onto each other's face and the speaker's face while laughing and chasing each other.
FYI: PBS, American Masters, Jan.16, 2024: How Jackson Pollock's "Blue Poles" changed the face of art
When Jackson painted "Blue Poles" in 1952, he had no idea it would later become the most expensive American painting sold when the National Gallery in Australia purchased it for two million U.S. dollars to much controversy. What was it about the "exquisite web of paint" that so captivated and divided audiences at the time and even now?
Responding to a question on how people should appreciate modern art, Pollock said: "I think they should not look for, but look passively and try to receive what the painting has to offer. I think it should be enjoyed just as music is enjoyed. After a while you may like it or may not, but I think at least give it a chance."
No comments:
Post a Comment