RECONSTITUTE
a poem found by JJ
Howard from the emails of Jim Bennett and used
here in its raw state as an introduction to, and
a definition of, cut-up poems
(1) Some thoughts on cut-ups
the cut up prose effect
is a form of poetry,
like haiku and sonnets,
it is just another form.
If you do not like it
that is fine,
that is your preference.
Stein said most things
in a lecture.
she said
the poem must outlive its stimulus
if it is to be successful.
so after the heavy rainfall
there could be some great poems
about rainfall
amongst poems about rainfall
and in the winter you
will get more poems about winter
than summer
We write from experience
one sort or another
some are shared
it is not surprising
poems share their theme
Perhaps you
are not trying
to reach the poem.
If I understood
what prose and poetry are
then I could respond
But they are labels
attached to word forms
self defined by
the reader
(2) some thoughts on cut-ups
take a piece of writing
lay it out like a poem
a found poem
you find them lurking
in the oddest places.
use a pair of scissors
cut a page of writing
vertically into three or four strips
rearranging the strips
the lines are restructured
give new word relationships
which can sometimes be
interesting or sometimes rubbish
moving a column of text vertically
gives interesting effects
or take strings of words
randomly rearrange
see what sense you can find
or take strings
use them in a way which implies rules
like use every third string.
length of strings
is a choice to be made
I use strings
between 4 and 8 words in length
less than that
you have a hostage letter
your own words and phrases
create a poem
but picking the words out of a paper.
look for interesting phrases
lines of text
which appeared in adverts
use them
you can do what you like
so long as you have a rule
which you are applying
make your own rules
or use no rules
but even no rule is a rule
in relation to the cut up.
(3) Some thoughts on cut-ups
select interesting lines of text
from various sources
recombine them
haphazard or random way
this is a set of rules
even if you say,
this series of events
lines will be random,
take a pin and push it through
a magazine
take the five words
from the point of the pin
on each page,
then you are following a set of rules.
if you put your cut up lines
in a bag and pull them out
use them in the order they emerge,
then you are following rules
what is the point
for me it's to show
that the poems exist
in the mind of the reader
word orders and juxtapositions
we overlook
because we conform
to a strategy
of structure and syntax
then there is
the aspect of discovery
exciting when confronted
familiar words in a new order
the original meaning
not apparent
perhaps the new order
is indicating a new meaning
I often reorder words
then repossess them
use erasure to bring out
new found possibilities
reclaim them as my own
automatic writing
used to create
randomness of structure
which is a stream of consciousness
as a tool
any process is of value
it is about
discovering new possibilities
but you have to recognise
what works effectively
and what does not
