Ray of light on the obscure

[ellajam]

I think there's room for preference in art. I prefer my poems with a strong image, a surface story and an underlying current that keeps me thinking, with a total of some emotional kick, something that gives me some insight into human perception. Or a minimum of words that feel lovely in my mouth.

When I get nothing off the page after a few reads I move on. If poetry had the advantage that the visual arts have, where a chorus of applause from the people that get it can put it in my face over and over, maybe I'd get there someday. I was close to forty before Peggy Guggenheim's long narrow gallery of Pollocks turned a lightbulb on and over forty before a Mondrian finally hooked me. They moved out of obscurity into clarity for me.

For me, most poetry just doesn't have that time. Is that the fault of the writer or reader?  It only matters if you'd like your poetry to become part of the reader, something that they can't let go of. I think you only have a small window of time to do that and it's best to get a hook in while you can. IMHO


Mondrian


Pollock


Peggy with Calder, just because I stumbled on this great pic