Tangent #28 - The Primordial Genre
Part I of a tangent on poetry
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This edition will be a bit unconventional—giving a break to the typical Tangent Newsletter structure. There will be more experimentation in the weeks ahead!
The Primordial Genre
April is National Poetry Month in the United States. I wish there was a big holiday to mark it, but I guess in April we have Easter(s), Earth Day, and 4/20 among others. If anyone knows of an obscure pagan holiday in April that we could turn into Poetry Day, let me know.
What would a poetry holiday look like? A parade a sappy, moody, meandering poets? Instead of confettis, you’d throw out shitty first drafts of rhymes that didn’t quite gel? Supermarkets would sell fountain pens and parchment paper?
Anyways, that’s a tangent on my tangent. Over the couple of years, I’ve been in a sort of poetry-funk. Most of my poems were about how little poetry I was writing and how difficult it was (very meta, I know).
Fortunately, I stumbled into a 5-week online course led by Ellen Fishbein and Jen Vermet called Rhythm, Rhyme, Repeat. The course had “roundtable in a coffee shop” vibes. Ellen’s love for poetry was infectious, and her declaration that poetry is the primordial genre1 will stick of me for the rest of my life. Jen infused her natural joy while guiding us through the sessions and summarizing key learnings.
I came out of the course with a renewed passion for poetry. Next week, I’ll explore more my relationship with poetry for the past 15 years.
In the meantime, I’d like to share a few of the poems I’ve written over the past couple of months. I would be thrilled if you have any poems of your own that you want to share or link to in the comments! Never written a poem before? Give a haiku a try. Just play with it.
Haikus
Haikus are a traditional Japanese form of poetry known for its distinctive brevity and syllable structure (5-7-5). The first and last lines have five syllables, and the middle one has seven syllables.
Astrology
Answers in the stars
Are a mere translation
Of truths in your heart
Coffee
A warm bitter jolt
To daily experience
Life sweet and rich
Heart
This arrhythmia
Exists from your presence–
Do not still my beat
Fibs
A Fib, also known as Fibonacci poem, is a form of poetry that follows the Fibonacci sequence, where each number is the sum of the two preceding ones: 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, and 8.
Approval
You
Cheat
Yourself
Every time
Approval is sought
From those who don’t approve themselves
Twilight
Up
Goes
The sun
In twilight
Hope and joy reside
Over the same great horizon
Doom and gloom reside
In twilight
The sun
Goes
Down
Photo
You
Are
Living
In the glance
Of that selfie from
When we thought we could overcome
Long-Form
You and I
It was You and I
Like we had always been
Only this time
Our encounter was a dream.
It was You and I
Arm-locked, star-crossed,
Very much in love
Very much holding our gazes
Very much huddling close
As the umbrella crowned our love.
It was You and I
Excitedly telling our friends
About our upcoming trio
About our soon-to-be babymoon
About sleepless nights
We looked forward to.
It was You and I
Doing it jointly—
Doing it swiftly—
Whispering softly
How much you loved me.
A screech broke the scene
Alarming you and I
As we dissolve in embrace
My alarm kept ringing.
Now I was awake.
Poetry Worth Checking Out
Spacefaring by Ellen Fishbein: Perhaps I’m biased about this book because it was written by my poetry sensei. Despite this, what I love about Spacefaring is Ellen’s thoughtful book structure to show her evolution as a poet. In the process, she shows us that the path of mastery is possible with consistency and courage. Ellen was also gracious enough to thoughtfully answer my questions about the book and share them publicly.
Judas Goat by Gabrielle Bates: Gabrielle is a Seattle-based poet, so you knew I had to check her out. I’ll be honest: I don’t get all of her poems. But through reading her work I was reminded that poems don’t need to be obvious, that sometimes you discover new flavors at second taste. Despite this, Gabrielle excels with heart-wrenching imagery, and lines that make people “ooh” collectively (I know this because I attended a reading of her book in Brooklyn).
Call Us What We Carry by Amanda Gorman: Amanda Gorman is one of my favorite contemporary poets. She rose to fame by reciting The Hill We Climb for Joe Biden’s Presidential Inauguration (she was the youngest poet to ever read at an inauguration). I was stunned by the storytelling, the nuance, and the elegance of that poem. No fancy words to look up, no confusing prose for double-takes. Her book is a continuation of the core elements of her famous poem. She was the National Youth Poet Laureate for a reason.
One more Thing
On your way out, I have three questions for you:
Until next time!
Ellen’s argument for poetry being the primordial genre of writing is the following: The very first poems appeared at the dawn of literacy before writing. They started out as songs. The development of the written word emerged, along with other factors, out of the need to transcribe song lyrics. Additionally, Ellen claims “Poetry was integral to their pursuit of excellence in writing. By practicing it, they were getting down to the roots of writing.”
A friend once said to me"I'm a poet, don't you know it?" :)
You have a way with words, Camilo! I'm excited for you to share your poems and am delighted to follow along with your journey.
I like this tangent on the tangent, Camilo. It’s refreshing to deviate from the usual path every now and then. Poetry is not something that’s down my alley. Ì candidly admit that I know nothing about it. But your piece got me intrigued. Such beautiful words. :)