Words are useful. They form the unformed imaginings of the mind. They are useful for taking a portion of those imaginings and touching the minds of other people. Words have become a crutch though. We have taken them and depended on them when we pursue the imaginings of our own minds.
In the communication - one mind to another - what exists in one mind crosses at an intersection of what exists in the other mind. This intersection is a fine crosshair. What exists in the mind is a vast ocean - more vast - it is the vastness of space.
Poetry attempts to communicate this vast storehouse of treasure. one would think that in an abundance of words we can some how reveal this vastness. Yet it is with brevity where we tap the treasure.
Some have gotten pretty close to writing in such brevity. The wisdom writings of the ancient Hebrews were one. Many of the writings of the Hebrew proverbs were poems that had parallel thought. In saying the same thing twice one could not just double the meaning, but multiply it. They also had contrasting thoughts. A contrasting thought could sharpen the focus - even though it would appear to obscure the meaning.
Even better were the writings of the Japanese writers. The Japanese poets refined the art of the short poem. The most refined were the Tanka and the Haiku. Many times these poems created a moment and a place in time, creating a moment to free the mind from the burden of the day.
he in quietness
touches the magnolia
swimming in fragrance
No comments:
Post a Comment