The CAT
I derive a sense of wonder when a poem causes a reaction in me. Any reaction to any form of art is a wonder in itself. For the reaction is the essence of the art.
I think the cause of the reaction in this instance is the intrusion of the meaning on my own reality: the tragic nature of this seemingly uncontrollable act inflicts a profound sense of pain and helplessness.
I hope you react too.
The CAT
She was licking
The opened tin
For hours and hours
without realising
that she was drinking
her own blood
- Spyros Kyriazopoulos
(Opening poem in the Louis de Bernieres novel Birds Without Wings.)
God, that gives me a really bad chill – so many things crossed my mind reading that poem, none of them good.
I wish I could sum up my reaction easily, but the closest I can get is a sort of saddened revulsion, which is only the top of it and not quite the whole of it. It’s hectic how something can trigger such a wide range of things in us hey, sjoe.
Sometimes the bad thoughts provide perspective.
There are so many things one can take away from this poem ranging from politics to subjective individual meanings.
The reaction is the interesting part for me. Do we emotionally react(to anything) or do we assign meaning to our emotions in the hope of rationalising the situation?
Science will inform us of our genes and the overriding nature of their conduct.
There are also emotional presets that we adapt and assign meaning to as we grow older.
As the combinations become more complex, the boundaries begin to blur and we are sometimes left with a void that we can’t quite grasp.
I think it’s good to touch it now and then.
This poem is Art. That’s why it causes these reactions. Art is the moment that a 2dimensional picture/poem/sound, changes in a 3dimensional experience of pure beauty. When the esthetik surface falls the piece reveals its power of beauty.
Stendhal the french writer, explains it very well, when he describes his feelings the moment he is looking at renaissance-work in Florence.
Birds without wings is not about politics or political history. Its about humans! Like this poem is.Beautiful.
Feb 20th, 2008
8:08 pm