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D
DeWaal
Dec 13, 2007 ⭐ See this poem's read count — a supporter feature

Two poems?

The poet is a woman

 

A woman's fingers

touched my brow,

tripped down

the bridge of my nose,

walked where my words emerge,

taking them in hand:

my ancient young mother,

lead me to where we can kiss

the blazing lips of the sun,

laughing loudly in the hearts of plants,

hold us up to the light.

 

Revising myself

 

A woman's fingers

touched my brow,

tripped down

the bridge of my nose,

walked where my words emerge,

taking them in hand:

my ancient young mother,

lead me to where we can kiss

the blazing lips of the sun,

laughing loudly in the hearts of plants,

hold us up to the light.

 

 

Annotation:

 Here the poem appears under two titles. The first title encourages a reading of the poem more or less like: ”This poem describes the creative process  resulting in itself."

 

 The second title could lead to a reading: "This poem describes how the poet examines his poem (himself) in order to revise and improve."

 

 The title of a poem exerts an extraordinarily strong influence on the reception of the poem by the reader.

— DeWaal, Dec 13, 2007
More from this author

Critiques

Mark

Mark

18 years 7 months ago

I agree and I have a

horrible time with titles. One thing I would do is use italics for the poetry instead of quotes. One thing is for sure, after being "taken" I am surely revised :) Mark L a point among infinite points in the circle am I
D

DeWaal

18 years 7 months ago

Revision

Hi Mark Yes, you're darn right! I made the change. It works much better. Thanks :) De Waal
Mark

Mark

18 years 7 months ago

By your deffinition

The two poems are the same as the title is a seperate thing. It is one poem. Mark L
D

DeWaal

18 years 7 months ago

Mark wearing a hat? What does that mean?

Hello Mark What I'm suggesting is that two different titles prompt readers into different readings of the poem. The question is then, if a poem with one title is read significantly differently from an identical poem with a different title, aren't there two different poems? Perhaps we should not assume that once a set of words has been put down on paper or a screen, that the text is immutable, containing an unchanging set of meanings. The poem actually does not exist in the text you see in front of you. Where does it exist then? It exists in the mind of the reader as it is being re-created in the reading process. And that does not only pertain to poetry. It pertains to all texts. "Mark is wearing a hat." What on earth does that mean to you? I think it may be different to what it means to me. De Waal
Mark

Mark

18 years 7 months ago

Thanks

I try too hard and have not worn a hat since the snips lmao but I wore one today on my way to get Patricia as it was snowing and cold so I now see where you come from with all this work - thanks teach.. Mark
D

DeWaal

18 years 7 months ago

It changes as you look at it

Jess, you have, as usual, uncovered sets of meanings in a few words. I think I'll place a limited definition of "deconstruction" here to serve as a point of reference if anybody wishes to pursue this interesting subject. "Deconstruction is a term in contemporary philosophy, literary criticism, and the social sciences, denoting a process by which the texts and languages of Western philosophy (in particular) appear to shift and complicate in meaning when read in light of the assumptions and absences they reveal within themselves. Jacques Derrida coined the term in the 1960s, and proved more forthcoming with negative, rather than pined-for positive, analyses of the school." The two poems (or one poem) above "shift and complicate in meaning" when read in association with the two different titles. In other words, "deconstruction" shouldn't be taken to mean "breaking down", it should mean something like, "realising the shifting patterns in a text, according to the linguistic (philosophical, rational etc) focus of the reader." Thanks for bringing this up Jess. De Waal
weirdelf

weirdelf

18 years 7 months ago

Thanks, De Waal

all the time I was reading Derrida and his ilk, not to mention his predecessors, the semioticians, I was thinking "there is something here but why don't you just say it, you arrogant frog intellectual pimps!" (hate Barthes with a passion)(and Baudrillard) cheers, Jess wishing you a Salubrious Solstice
Mark

Mark

18 years 7 months ago

You must love

me >>>> (clueless head thick as New Hampshire ganite) "I'm having a BIG HEAD day"
M

meic

18 years 7 months ago

I keep arriving late in the

I keep arriving late in the middle of a superbly simulating conversation, when there's not much [or too much] more to say. Titles are for certain a great boost to differential subjectivity. Thanks for forcing my brain into a much-needed workout. Mike photo: me, late teens/early twenties - 1st 'face furniture'
D

DeWaal

18 years 7 months ago

Tsk, tsk. these Welsh ...

Hello Mike Welcome! I'd love to hear a few words from you on deconstruction :) De Waal PS You handsome swain! At least then :)

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