I felt a bit nervous at the public debut of my first
”
video poem
”
a couple of weeks ago. OK, I felt really nervous. I had to
follow an award-winning poet’s presentation. I’m no poet and I know
it.
Xochiqueztal Candelaria was the guest speaker at the Gilroy
Writing Project’s Jan. 21 meeting. An audience of literature lovers
packed the room to hear Candelaria read her beautiful poems and
discuss the art of spinning verse.
I felt a bit nervous at the public debut of my first “video poem” a couple of weeks ago. OK, I felt really nervous. I had to follow an award-winning poet’s presentation. I’m no poet and I know it.
Xochiqueztal Candelaria was the guest speaker at the Gilroy Writing Project’s Jan. 21 meeting. An audience of literature lovers packed the room to hear Candelaria read her beautiful poems and discuss the art of spinning verse.
The poet grew up in San Juan Bautista and is a Gavilan College English instructor. The love for literature is in her blood. She is the niece of Luis Valdez, the Chicano playwright who founded the South Valley’s famous El Teatro Campesino.
Candelaria has won several prestigious awards for her poetic writing. She also won praise from the Gilroy Writing Project audience for her poetry’s rich imagery and sensuous moods that capture the essence of the Hispanic experience. Her words moved everyone in the room, including myself.
It takes a lot in a poem to move me. I’m more of a prose kind of guy. Even though I love good writing, I’ve never been a big fan of poetry. Maybe as a kid, I thought it was all about mushy, sissy stuff – the stuff of a Hallmark Valentine’s Day sentiment. “Roses are red, violets are blue, I bought this $2 card to prove my love for you.”
One of my favorite verses – one that truly gives me the utmost in poetic pleasure – I first read as a college student. I discovered it written anonymously on the bathroom wall in the Science Building at San Jose State University. It’s full of poignant social commentary. It begins: “My name is Pancho, I work at the rancho, I make five dollars a day …” This being a family newspaper, I don’t dare risk the rest of the risque rhyme.
Generally, however, my taste in poetry goes toward tamer stuff. I enjoy Robert Frost (“The Road Not Taken”), Shel Silverstein (you gotta read his hilarious collection “Where the Sidewalk Ends”), and the immortal Dr. Seuss.
Yeah, I know Dr. Seuss is considered kid’s stuff by the professionals. But centuries from now, I’m certain, scholars will be writing major academic theses on the literary merits of “One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish.”
Words used well can make magic. Even conversations at a party or cafe can be enhanced by a poetic beat. I’ve met folks who are verbal sorcerers, who know how to create wonderful magic in seemingly ordinary conversation. Irish people particularly are innate with this wizardry of words.
I wish I’d tape-recorded some conversations I’ve had that were pure poetry. It’s hard to describe. Somehow, the person’s words will run with a playful rhythm in their meter, reminding me of kids hop-scotching across a school yard playground. Or they’ll have an aching emotional tone in their use of alliteration and language. It’s truly hypnotic listening to these natural-born poets.
Perhaps poems are an innate part of all our human souls. It’s said poetry was created even before the written word as a means to memorize epic stories important for the survival of a tribe. The legendary Homer of “Iliad” and “Odyssey” fame is considered the superstar of epic poetry, preserving those ancient Greek war and travel sagas for the ages in an exquisite written form.
In the Middle Ages, custom mandated that legal documents be written as poetry. Maybe we can revive that ancient tradition. It might be an interesting experiment to require today’s legal eagles to write divorce papers or lawsuit documents as, say, sonnets in iambic pentameter.
In modern times, poetry continues its evolution. Rap is a fascinating area where poetry has developed as social commentary in the last 20 years. One of the most amazing pieces of performance poetry I ever saw was filmed for a PBS television series called “The Story of English.” A teenage boy was asked to describe his ghetto neighborhood in an impromptu rap poem. The words spilled out of him in a rhythmic cadence that would have impressed Shakespeare.
Recently, high-tech gadgetry has influenced poetry’s evolution. Which brings me to my video poem debut. In November, I hiked with a digital camera along the Coyote Creek north of Morgan Hill and took shots of the fall foliage. On my computer, I turned the beautiful images into a five-minute “movie” complete with Pachelbel’s “Canon in D Major” as the soundtrack.
Somehow, I knew, it needed something more. The images suggested poetry. I scribbled down a little poem titled “We All Must Fall” about nature’s cycle of life and death. I recorded the words over the images and baroque music. I thought I’d created something special.
Catherine Denise Alexander, the Gilroy Writers Project’s co-chair, graciously let me present the “world premiere” of my first video poem at the group’s January meeting at the Gilroy Public Library. The audience showed genuine interest as the DVD played the poem on the TV screen. Following the video, Gavilan College art instructor Arturo “R2Row” Rosette told me digital technology merged with poetry might open South Valley’s young people to an exciting new art form.
As the meeting closed, I learned one attendee, Ruben Dozal Jr. of Hollister, had recently published a volume of poetry. “My Dad’s Thoughts: Bits and Pieces of Life” shares his most personal poems about his wife, children and life as a laborer. I bought a signed copy, and my jaw dropped when I read his heart-hitting poetry.
Unlike Candelaria and me, Dozal didn’t learn creative writing in college. In fact, he didn’t learn to read and write until he was 50. But somewhere along his life path, he learned to express honest truth with a poet’s soul. His poems let readers see the world with fresh eyes.
That’s the power of well-written verse. Poetry opens the door to a brand new universe. It broadens our views of life and love. And that’s nothing to be nervous about.
