Here Zoe Piponides and Marie Kjeldgaard approach two very different kinds of writing with two very different kinds of poem. Piponides makes good use of internal rhyme in her homage to the enchanting power of the written word, Books – music to the ears of any teacher trying to enthuse students with the delights of extensive reading in a foreign language. Meanwhile, by artfully assembling “English phrases on Japanese clothing and accessories” into enigmatic stanzas on themes of interest to young adults, Kjeldgaard produces in Design Combines Typography and Art a thought-provoking found poem which points to deeper issues of language, youth culture, and poetry itself.
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Books
Books are nooks with spooks, wise crooks and crafty cooks,
dream plays, away days, snoozy noons, full twilight moons.
Wave a spiral wand, discover worlds, the earth, beyond.
Sample skies and fine tune seas, find Bluebeard’s keys.
Be a hero, Captain Nero, conquer demons, peg leg seamen,
jewel-eyed islands, tree top views. Covet front page news.
Corner thumb lick, bookmark, bend or scroll and sigh, The End.
Sniff, refresh new pages, stories rising through the ages.
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“Once upon a time, a long, long time ago, there was a wonderful thing called tenure…”
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Design Combines Typography and Art
(1) everything we said was cool
the 60s were one year
LSD syndrome – tricky zip
mind warm
above the finest
stranger sin paradise
(2) charm talking,
steal your minds –
don’t make noise
break the moment –
no stealing freedom
in search of personality
(3) diesel Valhalla
ludicrous use of a natural element
you have my soul and I have your money
I love my priorities
Lines by popular poet Khalil Gibran on a bag (spotted by ed. in the same department, same day)
Incoherent English on a T-shirt (spotted by ed. in a Japanese department store, 7th April, 2014)
For the spring 2014 issue contents page for poetry, click here.
For poetry ‘On the Spoken Word‘ see the fall 2014 issue.