February Poetry Blog

The phrase “art is meant to comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable,” has almost held too much influence within the art community. While there is something to be said for those who find comfort in oddities, the increased romanticization of the trauma implied in that philosophy can quickly become mundane. The idea that those who are out of the “norm” can find their own norm in the weird is a beautiful sentiment, however as people begin to label more and more things as “not normal,” the true feeling of the phrase is lost. Aspiring visionaries may attempt to prove their “comfort” around truly disturbing pieces of work, but that completely takes away its meaning; the point of art is to feel something, and if you force yourself to feel nothing then you are denying the artist of their desire. In my opinion, the phrase I stated really means that those who understand the art are those who can truly appreciate it.

While working through this prompt of finding a piece of art, literature, or even music that relates to a poem, I knew I wanted to work with something uncomfortable. Reading through R. A. Villanueva’s book, I found many, many poems that exuded discomfort. Once I had picked the poem I wanted to use I figured finding the piece of art I wanted would be just as simple, I was wrong. Of course there are many pieces that can provide the same feeling, but I struggled to find a comparable meaning. Eventually while searching I had put on music, and through my half-hearted listening I found the perfect song without even meaning to. I felt it captured the uneasy feeling of my poem while incorporating literal and metaphorical parallels.

To begin, the poem I chose is called, “Swarm.” It is a grotesque telling of the rather questionable actions of a group of boys. These boys all took part in killing and dissecting bullfrogs and the poem finely details every aspect of their presumed entertainment. I realized this was more of a game to them when Villanueva recounted how the boys began to laugh at the separated body parts of the frogs, which also proved an apparent lack of empathy. I found this incredibly interesting because the poem itself serves to stand as a reflection, I believe, because it ends with the clear disappointment by the so-called “Dean of Men” (who they call Father Luke). His disappointment is shown when he holds the boys back beyond the last bell, “waiting for just one among (them) to want forgiveness,” and Villanueva’s reflection is shown by his recall of the situation. He understands now that what they did in the moment was not right and can also understand the intention of his Dean. I interpret the reflection as an out of body experience, looking back on the past without having the ability to change any of it; feeling everything he felt in the moment, combined with his new perspectives and morals. 

The reason I point out the possible underlying intent of the poem (to backtrack on his actions), is because the song I chose is all about an “out of body” experience. It is about seeing things as yourself but also as someone else and having no way of doing anything about it. The song I chose as a comparison to this poem is “Brain Damage” by Pink Floyd. It is an eerie, unsettling song that provides just the same feeling, much like “Swarm,” and they both present situationally confused narrators. In the poem the narrator has a moral question, in the song the narrator has an existential question. Neither of them know exactly what to think but they’re trying to make sense of the circumstances. 

On top of this, both pieces have a very purposefully alarming approach. The use of words such as double-pithed, vascular dye, and viscera (Swarm), along with lunatic, dark forebodings, and blade (Brain Damage), all create a feeling of unrest as viewers may recoil at the thought of their context. The tone created by each disagreeable word forces emotion onto the receiver of the pieces, and since the emotions created by each can be considered similar, the two are very comparable. Not only do they deal with similar themes, but their evoked feelings show considerable intention. That is what I wanted to pull from each of these works. They present situations where something is off and then push it to the max by painting a horrifying picture. Either you are right there with the boys, dissecting frogs, or you are going insane and haven’t a clue why. Both are uncomfortable places to be.

To truly finalize the similar nature of the two, we can look directly at a side by side comparison of the words with no deeper meaning. Now, we are paying strict attention to subject matter. As I previously stated, the poem talks about the dissection of bullfrogs. It mentions cutting through “the thin give of the sternum,” and going through the lungs, “past a three-chambered heart…” giving a clear picture of the action in motion. This shows how the poem openly states the performance of body mutilation, which is a constant between the two pieces. In the song, the narrator states, “you raise the blade, you make the change, you rearrange me ’til I’m sane,” which put into context explains how his body is also going through a surgical change. This literal similarity allows for a simple but accurate comparison, while also furthering the awkward feeling brewed by their words.

Each piece of art has a different intention and an impossible number of interpretations. The two I selected just so happened to make sense together, in my eyes at least. They are both able to draw on the unsettling and force a reaction. Their meanings seem similar when placed side by side and their words even more so. I really enjoyed getting to view each in their own respects as I have known of them both but I only knew of them separately, and now seeing them together has given me a fresh perspective; one that I can appreciate even more. Taking the time to understand the uncomfortable is always worth it and only then can you truly be “comforted.”

 

(Side note: for a more conversational aspect, something I found quite interesting was the use of chords in the song “Brain Damage.” I wanted to include it in my description of the tone of the song, however since I used examples of the words for the poem I decided it would be best to do the same for the song. Since I didn’t get to use the chords, here they are: this song runs on the chord G major, however it is a mixolydian mode. I believe that means there is a replacement for one of the notes, however I honestly couldn’t tell you. In this case, it was explained as the f# in the chord being dropped for an f natural. This then leads to a cluster of chromatic notes, which I believe range from E to A (E, F, F#, G, G#, A) which was described as “rather unusual.” I thought that was super interesting because it explained exactly why the song sounds so strange yet still worked in such an odd way!)

Understanding Poetry (R. A. Villanueva Poetry Bog 2)

Poetry is something that takes many paths, sentiments, and forms, leading those interested on mental adventures to figure out one of many meanings. Therefore, for both the author and the reader, sometimes poetry is very hard to get “right.” That doesn’t mean that there is one correct way to write or express one’s feelings, it means that sometimes people experience difficulty in expressing their feelings, or understanding others, to their full extent.

Following along with the author R. A. Villanueva further, his book, “Reliquaria,” shows many different perspectives and topics. Occasionally it gets morbid and often it is uncomfortable, however it also contains odes and relatable nostalgia. Much of Villanueva’s writing contains his feelings of growing up surrounded by family and religion and how that translates into his adult life, giving a very personal account of what his experiences have been. This up close look at his emotions provides a higher chance of readers understanding what he is trying to convey, although for people like me who may have grown up in very different communities, it gets a little harder.

Jumping into specifics, one piece of his that I find difficult to grasp is his poem, “Blessing the Animals.” With surface level reading, the title explains the whole concept, but as I continued to think about it I didn’t really understand the tone of the poem. I originally chalked it up to not totally getting the religious “ritual” but really I think I just don’t understand how I’m supposed to feel. He began by mentioning a feast where animals are blessed, which made me wonder if they were going to eat these specific animals, and then mentioned they were from a petting zoo which threw me for a bit of a loop. Why would you eat animals from a petting zoo? This made me think that they were just getting blessed then going on their way, however the way he spoke about them further confused me. He said things such as; how the llamas were, “chewing at their cords,” signaling possible discomfort; how the, “camel’s necks hung with scapulae,” which I understand as their bodies have both their heads and shoulder blades which is not inherently morbid, but I find the wording to be odd, and; how the border collies and terriers were leashed together. The way he detailed the scene made it feel wrong, almost like there was a more sinister reason for the blessings. Again however, I may just not understand this feast and the reasoning behind blessing animals. Aside from the literal meaning of the poem, I can’t really tell what Villanueva’s view is on the situation. He added a part at the end describing the partial destruction of a religious statue that was in the area, sometime later. It kind of made the poem feel angry as he seemed to show no remorse for what happened even though throughout the book he shows a clear connection with his Christianity. That made me question if he even enjoyed his relationship with religion – maybe it wasn’t actually good for him. In all, this poem left me with a lot of unanswered questions and made me feel like I had to be a part of the original experience to really understand where it was headed. I enjoyed it, it’s written very well, but I didn’t know what to take away from it.

While some poems can be incredibly confusing, others click immediately. For me, a particularly easy one to understand is titled, “Traps.” This one is about having to kill a mouse that is living in your home, and in my opinion, dealing with the emotions following. The beginning feels like battling the guilt of the mouse murder, depicting a gruesome list of possible deaths for the rodent and finishing with, “sleep on how that death must feel.” That is sort of a juxtaposition because while it mentions sleeping on these thoughts, it also acts as a wake up call to the brutality the mouse is facing. Though this guilt is momentarily recognized, it quickly switches to apathy as this time the mouse faces one possible threat to its life, however the person performing this act shows no remorse. This is shown when the poem reads, “forget its eyes sinking as beads, as baubles.” For me, the poem was so easy to understand because it worked directly with living emotions. We can understand that the mouse is scared and the human is disgusted simply by watching their actions. Villanueva wrote this from a raw, generalizable experience, not one from religion.

With poems like these that are both difficult and easy to understand, there are always some that are right in the middle. My middle ground is called, “Fish Heads.” I feel as if I understand it for the most part because I am able to relate, though I find my relatability in the background characters. I mesh with those who have no interest in foods such as fish heads but it still allows me to walk in the shoes of someone in the poem. What does trip me up a little though, is the overall intention of the poem. It paints a picture of a mother preparing rather exotic meals for her children, most of which do not want anything to do with them. That is with the exception of one however, which is where I am left slightly confused. I don’t really understand if he actually enjoys the food his mom makes or if he’s just trying it to make her happy. He doesn’t seem too excited while recalling his memory of these dishes and even admits to denying them occasionally, but his mother still believes he was the only one to partake with her, which makes me think he did eat the food sometimes, and it would have been out of respect. Although this part is unclear to me, the rest of the poem speaks of how the mother prepared the food and continued to do so even when her cooking was rejected, which shows me that she is resilient and wants to let herself enjoy the things she likes. Her goal was to eat and anyone was welcome to join her, and that makes sense to me.

The three of these poems are all from the same author yet all hold such different points to be made, giving way for multiple interpretations. I worked some out and am still on the fence about others but in the end I was able to get where I got, and that is the beauty of poetry. No one feeling evoked upon reading is necessarily the right one, but the intention of the author will always be there to sway the outcome.

“Reliquaria” (R. A. Villanueva Poetry Blog 1)

As an artist, one of the most practical consistencies in life is a muse. While this is an insightful take, it doesn’t actually make clear what a muse is; though I can try to unfold it, I’m not sure I’m able to give a straight answer. How it’s been explained to me is that a muse is a person, animal, object, even a place, however that is not the end. I have also been told it could be a word or an idea. Think of it as a thesis statement, or an essential question. The concept of making use of simply an idea to create a physical piece of art seems so normal and quite frankly, easy – though that may be true for one piece, muses are carefully selected and sought out for long term projects and creations in a series of works. Muses provide the artist with inspiration and the audience with a sense of cohesion.

For me, one of my most prominent muses has been my mom. She is such a tough, strong minded woman and I want to try to replicate that in the pieces I make. Oftentimes I switch mediums and subject matter but even then I want the idea of my mother’s personality, likes, and mindsets on my paper. For example, whenever I draw something, really no matter what it is, she asks where the flowers are. Using her words as inspiration, I have started a collection of flowers ranging from watercolors to ballpoint pens, from colored to monochrome, and from species to species. I take her view and make it my vision.

While that is just a brief introduction into the application of my mother’s mind, it is true that I have more than one muse. Recently I have had a strange focus on octopuses which I really can’t tell you where that came from. One day I was just suddenly very intrigued by their fluidity in both how they move through the ocean and their forms in general. Again I have worked in multiple mediums but I find myself really enjoying ballpoint pen with these sea creatures. Thanks to the octopus, the giant pacific octopus namely, I have rekindled my love for simple, cheap art supplies. That is what I enjoy so deeply about having a muse, it can inspire the subject matter as well as an artist’s opinions. They allow creativity to flow and nourish a prospective mind.

Someone who may agree with me would be R. A. Villanueva, the author and poet responsible for “Reliquaria,” a book translating to reliquary, which is a container for holy relics. For context, this book contains many religious ideas, which I can only assume is a pull from Christianity. While I am not Christian myself, the spirituality and sort of solemn appreciation for life immediately drew me to these poems. That being said, one of the pieces that really stuck out to me was actually an unceremoniously sweet one. It is titled, “Life Drawing,” which hopefully already makes sense of my previous monologue. Upon further exploration, R. A. Villanueva explains that his wife is actually the painter, confessing that he is just the writer. However I didn’t pick this poem just because I wanted clarification on who wrote the book, I picked it because like how my mom provides such inspiration for me, his wife acts as his muse, and vice versa in fact. 

At the top of the page the author writes sort of a raunchy line, picturing a man slipping out of his robe in front of a woman. He says, “this man who sits, nude for my wife, whom she draws with Conté sticks and pastel pencils,” creating shock and possibly horror in the reader’s mind, then quelling it with the understanding of an artist’s musts. This toying with emotions is something this author does well proved by my previous statement. You may wonder how on earth I could classify this as a sweet poem, but the tone quickly switches from shocking to visionary and mature. He relays his wife’s likes and dislikes paired with replicating a human body, specifically that of a man besides her husbands, and provides her creative process as extra insight. This conversation alone brings him the idea of forming a piece her actions helped to synthesize. That is the marvelous thing about muses, an artist of any sort does not need to be looking for inspiration but allowing it to find its way into their grasp.

Villanueva then puts into words his desire to create based off of his wife to which she responds by saying, “she will paint the whole of me, bare from the neck down as I pose in our living room.” This part of the poem is so important because it allows the rest of the poem to bloom with intimacy. Suddenly they have voiced their labels as each other’s muses and showed such a deep connection that the reader can feel the way she is moving her hand around the paper when showing her favorite parts of her drawings and the cherishing way the author is looking at her and receiving her words.

In the end the poem was filled with a romantic and almost exceedingly personal description of two creators playing off of each other’s beings. I wanted to highlight the different ways a muse can be appreciated and how many options there are for inventiveness. R. A. Villanueva writes in an artistic and descriptive manner which I connected with and I can only imagine how many others share an experience that is so similar yet so different, just like him and I.