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Poetry imitating life imitating poetry.

September 2, 2009    |    0 COMMENT(S)

In Poetry class (2nd part of CW100), our main project is to create a villanelle out of anything that interests us. I'm honestly not much of a poet and I must admit that this type of literature is most probably my waterloo. But of course it's not something I can escape at this point, so somehow I'm getting myself to really appreciate it. We're all natural poets after all, we just need a little more discipline and practice. So I've been thinking about a good topic since the assignment was given. I want to take the assignment seriously, so I want to write about something that interests me.

Since most of us in class are still "beginners" (although high school angsty love poems are considered poetry, haha, but of course we all deny having done that!) we've been discussing the basics: rhythm, sound, tone, form, use of words. And for the past few weeks the thing I've learned essentially is that it's important to keep a strong mental image inside your head and try to capture it. You have to seize everything about it -- the sound, the feel, the look, the taste, the smell -- to be able to make your reader live through it.

There's so much more that goes into a poem that what many of us may think. And as hackneyed as this may sound, it all comes down to detail. It's always the small, little things that count. Because what else is there for the reader to experience other than the words you write?

Is it about a breakup? When did it happen? At what moment, exactly? When she let go of her hand? Where did it happen? Over lunch at McDonald's? Why not KFC? What song was playing? Was it her favorite band? When did he start sipping nervously from his drink? Was the airconditioner turned on? How did the french fries taste after that?

In poetry, everything means something. Because it's all just about that one moment, that one instant that you want to freeze and immortalize. You are the orchestrator of that event; you arrange everything in perfect detail. Everything should match with everything else. And I guess that goes beyond poetry as well -- in movies and TV shows, in songs and novels, in paintings and photographs, everything should all come together in the end.


In life, does everything mean something too?

I was contemplating on what topic to write about on my way back to the dorm. Maybe I should write about the crescendos and decrescendos of everyday life, I thought, since I just came from the College of Music for my weekly piano classes. Or what about nostalgia? Then I can relate it to putting your iPod to repeat mode. Hmm, maybe something related to music.

Then suddenly, the couple across me in the jeepney started kissing and making out with matching tongue and hair-messing action. It was so awkward because there was nowhere else to look -- they were right in front of me! I tried texting my friends to distract myself. I can practically hear everybody shouting, "Get a room!" inside their heads. It was funny because for CW100 class today we were discussing about capturing an "orgasmic" moment. We were talking about the details of the scene -- the position, where it took place (the backseat of a Beetle!!), how it was happening.. basically imagining a sexual scene. And just a few hours later, something close to it unfolded before my eyes. (Though it wasn't sexy at all. It was gross actually.) It was such an unfortunate coincidence to be riding that jeep with them.


But if everything means something..


Does this mean I'm bound to write an erotic villanelle?
Hahaha :))



(from stereowrists)



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