Nicole Beauchamp "notes"

Nicole Beauchamp

ENGL 400—Rehn

October 11, 2011

“notes”

Or, Graphic Poetry Project

Concrete poetry, according to R. P. Draper, “is the creation of verbal artifacts which exploit the possibilities, not only of sound, sense and rhythm—the traditional fields of poetry—but also of space, whether it be the flat, two-dimensional space of letters on the printed page, or the three-dimensional space of words in relief and sculpted ideograms” (329). The following poem, “notes,” is a product of that definition.

When the poem transitions from text to image, the meaning of particular lines as well as the poem on the whole is altered.  The physical placement of certain words highlights their meaning. For example, the word “sideways” forces the reader to tilt into a rather awkward position, much as the poem is trying to demonstrate that point. This transformation from text to graphic is shown in a variety of other ways, as discussed below.

Throughout the entirety of the poem, space is by far the most important feature. Space, both on the page and in our minds, often represents time. The more space is found between words, the more time passes between each word. And the converse is also true. The lack of space indicates a lack of time. In the poem, spaces often play the role of punctuation. Rather than using commas to indicate a mental and verbal pause, the blank space on the page denotes the passage of time.  The blank space also draws attention to what is not there, as in the third line (“The empty      bed”) and when the CDs are bumped to the next line after the word “blank.” Another role that blank space plays in the poem is to recall particular meanings. For example, the word “high” is above the rest of the line, indicating its definition through both the word and its placement, but also as a physical representation of the state of the desk. Also, “sideways” is actually sideways, recalling the definition, as well as a particular image that I had in mind. In short, “the spatial elements of the poem much do the work of traditional syntax and articulate the meaning that lies dormant in words” (Draper 334).

            The particular placement of the words on the page also denotes or recalls specific meanings. The best example of this is the last line of the first page of the poem. “There’s no turning back now,” it says. And since the line is at the end of the page, once you turn to the second page, there is no turning back in a more literal sense. At the end of the poem, the last two words (“the phone”) share the same alignment on the second page. This echoism forces a redefining of “There’s no turning back now” once the very last line is considered, but also forces a reconsideration of “the phone” in light of the line on the previous page. Additionally, the use of a period at the end of the first page denotes finality (as does its meaning); however, the same is not true of the end of the poem. It is left open-ended, or rather, open spaced. What comes next is blank, unknown, unwritten. Another example of word placement affecting meaning is the line “’I’m in love with you.’” It is centered on the page and in a large font. This brings to mind the image of the actual physical note.