COMPOSING TEXTPOEMS: OBSERVING, COMMUNICATING AND REFLECTING

Since 2010, I have composed more than six hundred textpoems, and sent them out on my phone to an expanding audience.  Many of the recipients respond with their own poems, even though they may never have written poetry before.  My evolving experience of the textpoem form suggests that it lends itself to effective and intimate communication. I speculate that this is because it brings together the moment of insight captured  in ancient forms of brief poetry such as haiku, with the communicative possibilities of mobile phones.  This poem explores these possibilities:

 

TEXTING

Between abbreviations,

intuiting the unbloomed word.

The unsung notes are sliding, rising.

A consonant unothering.x

 

The theme of the poem is the intuitive understanding which texting can foster between texter and reader, drawing on their shared knowledge of textlanguage. The word “unothering” means a strong connection between two people. In my experience, the textpoem form lends itself to creative uses of language. There is a the popular notion that using mobile phones impacts negatively on the use of language in general, and on young people’s literacy skills in particular. However, recent literature on texting suggests that young people’s use of textisms can enhance their capacity to play with language.

When I began the process of composing textpoems, the only definition of the form available was: “Simply put: it is poetry that fits inside a text message: i.e. poetry that is less than 160 characters long”.

However, as my experience of textpoems has evolved, I have developed my own definition and criteria. A textpoem needs to use textlanguage as appropriate, to be sent out to at least one person, and to contain an observation about nature or a moment of insight. The themes of my poems encompass communication and connection; responding to loss and grief; experiencing nature; the transitions of the seasons and sunrise and sunset, and creativity itself.

The following three poems are presented as they appeared on the phone, and also in more traditional printed poetic form. The x at the end, common to textmessages, identifies them as textpoems.  Most of the poems are created without a title, which might be added when they are typed up. .

New morning rising fresh + cleansed from dawnmist, psteppign litely on2 velvet grass. She leaves her nitecloaks @ the foot of trees. Her dress arrayed wth crocusbeads, purple, lilac, gold +white. x

 

MORNING

New morning rising fresh and cleansed from dawnmist,

stepping lightly onto velvet grass.

She leaves her nightcloaks at the foot of trees.

Her dress arrayed with crocusbeads,

purple, lilac, gold, and white.

 

This poem emerged from direct observation on an early morning walk in a local park. The contemplative state induced by walking and the evocative light prompted the sense of wonder and the images.

The next poem is about the multiple perspectives which close observation offers:

Uncertainty bout the moon: skysmoke blown aX its face, nitebreath from its open mouth, incense pool of liquid ice, ashes of the sinking day, portal opening in2 nite.x

 

UNCERTAINTY

Uncertainty about the moon:

skysmoke blown across its face,

nightbreath from its open mouth,

Incense pool of liquid ice,

ashes of the sinking day,

portal opening into night.

 

The reference in the following poem to a candle is typical of many of my textpoems. Some of my poems emerge from my daily meditation practice, which begins with lighting a candle and sitting in silence.

Rhythm. Candle on a wite table in a dark rm, crescent moonflame ebbing + expanding its own shado. 2day the *s r pulsing perfect silver beats. 3 narcissi in a ro, arpeggio in autumn song.x

 

RHYTHM

Candle on a white table in a dark room,

crescent moonflame ebbing and expanding its own shadow.

2day the stars are pulsing perfect silver beats.

3 narcissi in a row, arpeggio in autumn song.x

 

My website www.creativetextpoems.co.uk offer opportunities for you to develop and share your own textpoems. You can also see examples of sets of poems which I have printed on the website.

Dear reader,

I look 4ward 2 ur response x

 

Shelley Tracey is a poet, educator and creativity consultant with extensive experience in adult literacy, teacher education and the facilitation of creative writing and creativity workshops. She is currently training as a poetry therapist. Some of her textpoems were included in her doctoral dissertation, which explored the creation of spaces for teachers to develop their understanding of creativity. Other textpoems have been published in articles about this new form, as well as on her website, www.creativetextpoems.co.uk. Shelley has printed two themed sets of 30 poems each , “Journeycards” and “Spaces Inbetween”, and has published a book of textpoems and German translations with the paintings of Ingrid Frank, a German artist: Reflections: Poetry and Paintings (2013).