Creative endeavors are returning to me. It feels good and right. I recently read the poems in The New Yorker of August 28, 2023. The poem What’s Poetry Like? by Bianca Stone was popping out to me as a perfect erasure poem. I enjoy whittling down to essential words. I found another poem here with a slightly different meaning than hers. I hope she is the type of poet who knows the highest form of flattery is imitation.
Poetry
Poets play love
essential moment, shared
writtenresuscitate wildlife
disappearing ourselvesPoetry finds deficient
words, immortal
huntyou’re trying to get back
bittersweet tongue,
all the emoting,
all the surrenderreckless
insight, hidden
wisdom slips into truththe form itself
words that sing yet-unspoken things wafting
Margaret Simon, erasure poem from What’s Poetry Like? by Bianca Stone
waiting to be opened.
The New Yorker, August 28, 2023
The Poetry Friday round-up today is with Amy Ludwig VanDerwater at The Poem Farm.
Reflections on the Teche 
So fun, Margaret! I, too, played with some erasure poem this week, but mine aren’t works of ART like yours! (As always, I’m inspired!)
Your post dovetails perfectly with Amy’s host post!
This is my favorite bit:
“reckless
insight, hidden
wisdom slips into truth”
It felt good to get creative again and feel like my brain is working and playing with language. Ah, I missed me.
Lovely, and I’ll have to return to this poem. I really enjoyed,
“hidden
wisdom slips into truth”
And your whittling didn’t too, thanks Margaret!
This was a fun process.
Nice! I love the photo of your process. My favorite part:
unspoken things wafting
waiting to be opened.
I always feel when I write poetry That something slips in that I didn’t know was there. The mystery and magic of writing.
Margaret, I am so glad that you “creative endeavors are returning”. Designing a new poem from an old one through erasure is a sure sing that you mind is thinking creatively. Her is my choice for reat wording midstream: hidden/wisdom slips into truth. I also think the last stanza says what poets desire by the end of the poem. It’s the surprise that brings joy!
I’m glad to hear your creative spirit is reawakening! I haven’t explored erasure poetry – I think I need to play around a bit and explore!
I think I’ll look for the poem, too, Margaret. I love seeing your work erasing, then “hidden/wisdom slips into truth”. It can be such a surprise! Happy to read that you’re feeling better, too!
Trying to get back the emoting and surrender…it takes some work getting to the reckless insight! Glad you are back to surprising yourself. xo
I love the way you pared down to the essential concepts. Beautifully done!
Oh, Margaret, this says so much good about your recovery! “Creative endeavors are returning to me.” You found so many treasures in Stone’s poem, like:
“disappearing ourselves”
“Poetry finds deficient / words” immortal
“you’re trying to get back”
and my favorite: “unspoken things wafting / waiting to be opened.”
Oh Margaret, this seems the perfect poem to revive and heal your spirit… so happy to read what you found and to see it visually. Thank you!
My goodness, your essentials are like altoids–curiously strong. Love how you found a poem within a poem. You make me want to go grab some text and play.
I’m so happy to know your creative energies are stirring again! I love how you combined “bittersweet” and “tongue” and also “unspoken things wafting
waiting to be opened” Ahhhh….yes! Great erasure poem!
I’m happy to hear you’re feeling better. The fact that you’re feeling up to creativity is a good sign!
I’ve never done an erasure poem, but they make me think of Austin Kleon, and now… you!
I love how “poetry finds deficient words.”
Margaret, I am so glad to hear that your creativity is returning and with that, your strength. I love seeing your pages with paint and pen and am holding onto “disappearing ourselves.” This is the goal. May you continue to heal and make as you do so. xo, a.