Sometimes just picking up a pencil and writing or typing on a blank page is just not it. It’s agonizing to labor through the obligation of “having something to say” and “having something to write” and “having to do something” and “having to create something.”
But thing is, with writing (poetry) you’re not really “creating” anything. You’re just arranging. Writing poetry is a way of arranging an activity you are arriving to.
Which brings me to erasure poetry! I’ll loosely describe erasure poetry as thus: Take a poem, lyrics, articles, or anything written. See the words or phrases or even spaces that lift off the page for you. Block out (like with a marker) everything else. Enjoy what remains.
I like erasure poetry because, to me, that’s exactly what writing is – what remains. And erasure poetry, for some, can take the “pressure” off toiling through the work of “originating” writing, as we have a composition of words already in front of us that we can work with or against.
There is a lot that can be accomplished or intended through erasure poetry, but we’ll keep things simple. And of course you can look up more on your own.
So to get started, I have included a poem in this post (above).
Since you’re on a screen, blocking out text might not be feasible, so just maybe extract moments, words, phrases, from this poem that speak to you. Write or type them down. And maybe you can match the locations of where the words appeared in the original poem to your own poem. And maybe title the poem.
And perhaps fill in the blanks to respond to the original poem. Or create more motion in another direction.
Here is mine (I added a few “minor” words)
Who do you think the original poem is by? I know, the preface makes the answer easy!
Author Emerson??
Erasure poetry.…yesssss!! 🙌🏽🙌🏽.
Life
spring
dwells in
GOD