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Erasure Poetry

It's Poetry Friday and this week I have been exploring Erasure Poetry. It is a poetry form similar to Black Out Poetry. 

Erasure poetry is a form of found poetry created by erasing words from an existing text in prose or verse and framing the result on the page as a poem. The words can be arranged into lines and/or stanzas. Just like Black-out poetry, Erasure poetry require words to be removed, obscured or redacted. What is left becomes the basis of the poem.

For me there exists a sense of joy in unearthing poetic words seemingly buried within a larger text.

Some people see Erasure and Blackout poetry as the same thing. I am inclined to draw a distinction between them because in an Erasure poem the words are typically lifted out of situ and assembled on a different background. Erasure poems also allow some reorganization of the original line order. 

So more writer's notebook experimentation...

This time using the words of The Brother's Grimm to create Erasure Poetry. 

My process was as follows:  

Read, 

Select, 

Copy, 

Cut, 

Tear,

 Assemble 

Paste.

*I invite my fellow poets all - devote some time to dabbling in a little experimental Erasure poetry.






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Comments

  1. Janice Scully8 August 2020 at 00:22

    How beautiful your poems and artwork. Thank you for sharing them. Interesting, the characters present in them.

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    1. Alan j Wright8 August 2020 at 09:53

      Thank you Janice. It is quite a creative buzz that arises when indulging in this from of poetry making. Glad you enjoy the reading and the viewing.

      Delete
  2. Linda B8 August 2020 at 01:44

    I love your presentation, too, Alan, have been creating some art with word-gathering recently, will see if I can fit this into my goals, too.

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    Replies
    1. Alan j Wright8 August 2020 at 09:55

      Thank you Linda. It is quite a reassuring thing to note how many of us are turning to art and language at this trying time. it says a lot about the restorative qualities to be found in such pursuits.

      Delete
  3. Ruth8 August 2020 at 05:55

    Lovely! My students enjoy doing these.

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    Replies
    1. Alan j Wright8 August 2020 at 09:56

      I too have found that young poets readily engage with this form of poetry. Thanks Ruth.

      Delete
  4. laurasalas8 August 2020 at 08:21

    Oh, I really love that first one, especially. "every urge a ragged mystery..." I like your casual, contemporary background against this formal, not-archaic-yet-ringing-with-the-past text.

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    1. Alan j Wright8 August 2020 at 09:57

      Thanks Laura, I guess the background provides a natural contrast to the more formal arrangement of the words.

      Delete
  5. KatApel - katswhiskers.wordpress.com8 August 2020 at 09:06

    These look - and sound - fabulous! I can also see that you've had a lot of fun and creativity in the making of them.

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    1. Alan j Wright8 August 2020 at 10:00

      A genuine buzz, Kat. In stage 4 lockdown, this has been a wonderful project in which to remove myself from the wider realities of the current situation here in Victoria. Glad you liked them.

      Delete
  6. author amok8 August 2020 at 10:46

    These are so cool, Alan! I love that you pulled from Grimms' Tales -- that cave feels especially fairy tale-like.

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    1. Alan j Wright8 August 2020 at 10:54

      Thank you for your kind words. The Brothers Grimm provided a fertile ground for this type of poetry. So much rich descriptive language to delve into. What fun it was...

      Delete
  7. mbhmaine8 August 2020 at 20:57

    These are wonderful. I especially love the line, "every urge a ragged mystery." I'm not sure that I've heard of erasure poems before and appreciate your explaining how they differ from black out poems. Your presentation is fabulous.

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    1. Alan j Wright9 August 2020 at 09:51

      Thank you for your generous response to my post. The difference is subtle but if it helps clarify matters, then I am well pleased.

      Delete
  8. Mary Lee8 August 2020 at 21:05

    I like the way you differentiate erasure poems from black out poems. Yours are gorgeous. You found great lines and made them into fabulous poems.

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    1. Alan j Wright9 August 2020 at 09:53

      Thank you Mary Lee. I owe everything here to those writers who wrote the initial broader, rich text. They provided the fertile ground for my further explorations.

      Delete
  9. michelle kogan10 August 2020 at 15:03

    I think your poems do exactly what you wrote above, "remove myself from the wider realities of the current situation," and that action helps us to refuel. I like both of your erasure poems , and especially the mystery and art in your second one. Hope to find some time to try this, thanks Alan!

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  10. Alan j Wright11 August 2020 at 12:36

    Thank you Michelle. You are correct in your assertion that my writing actions are a form of escapism. A balm of sorts. Glad you enjoyed my dabbling in Erasure poetry. Hope you get to try it too.

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