This column by Tom Radzienda, an instructor in poetry and culture at Srinakharinwirot University, aims to encourage your interest and develop your skill in creating poetry. Poetry is a combination of visualisation, observation, imagination and creative use of language. Discover your poetic side, too!

Making poetry from sense Poetry requires much more than just language to convey meaning. Poetry involves images and senses to make ideas alive, sensory and memorable to the reader. It is important to experience all of the senses when exploring poetry, rather than just seeking intellectual understanding. To absorb a poem fully, we need our five senses in addition to our intellect and an open heart. The right side of the brain functions in visual, aural and tactile awareness of the world while the left side deals with language. Both sides of the brain work together to experience and understand poetry. Look at the examples of senses and poetic elements in this poem by Anne Sexton. Young by Anne Sexton A thousand doors ago hen I was a lonely kid in a big house with four garages and it was summer as long as I could remember, I lay on the lawn at night, clover wrinkling under me, the wise stars bedding over me, my mother’s window a funnel of yellow heat running out, my fathers window, half shut, an eye where sleepers pass, and the boards of the house were smooth and white as wax and probably a million leaves sailed on their strange stalks as the crickets ticked together and I, in my brand new body, which was not a woman’s yet, told the stars my questions and thought God could really see the heat and the painted light, elbows, knees, dreams, goodnight Senses sight sight touch, smell sight, touch touch sight sight touch, sight sight sight sight, touch touch, sight sight, touch sight hearing sight, touch sight touch, sight touch, sight Poetic elements symbol of time symbol of social class sensory image image precise image personification of stars metaphor (window is a funnel) symbol of mother’s love symbol of father’s indifference personification (window is watching) simile (boards are like wax) image (exaggeration) metaphor (leaves are sailing) personification metaphor (light is painted) images The senses Almost every line in the poem uses one of the senses. Sight is the dominant sense used, while touch is also quite important. Touch can be more difficult to imagine than sight, so it takes more effort to imagine effectively. The sense of hearing is employed in only one line in this poem. Take several moments to recall the sound of crickets and let the sound fill your imagination. Although this poem does not emphasise smell or taste, be aware of these senses as you read poetry. Each time you read a poetic sensation, activate the senses in your imagination. Stimulate an emotional response to each sensory detail. What does it mean? The poem by Sexton mostly conveys its ideas through the senses. Only a couple of lines directly explain the theme of the lonely struggle of coming of age. Most of the feelings of loneliness are painted through images, rather than explained. Experience poetry with a strong intention to live within the poem, rather than just translating it or logically analysing it. A woman may more readily identify with the theme of Young than a male. For males, the poem provides insight into the female experience of growing up. Ideas in things An influential 20th century literary trend was the imagist philosophy of “ideas in things.” Well known imagists include William Carlos Williams and Ezra Pound, who believed in showing instead of telling. Compare the following lines of poetry. Consider each line through your senses (what the line shows), and through your intellect (what the line tells), and determine which line is stronger. It was quiet and dark in my little room When I was a lonely kid I touched his warm hand as we talked He is my very close friend The pine trees were tossing like wild horses It was dangerous weather Give shape to ideas Re-write the following lines to show your ideas more vividly.   Direct idea Idea through senses 1. He is kind and gentle   2. My mother loves me very much   3. I was very sad and worried   4. It was a beautiful day   Synesthesia: Crossing senses Synesthesia is the poetic technique of describing the stimuli of one sense through the language of another. Using the technique of synesthesia brings interesting new developments to your sensation of the world and freshness to your poetry. Observe the examples below and then write your own examples. Example Crossed senses 1. He smelled darkness in her heart Sight crossed with smell 2.   3. Sweet jazz poured from his saxaphon Taste crossed with hearing 4.   5. A rough cough betrayed her smile Touch crossed with hearing 6.   Select your most unique observations and share them with your friends. Tom Radzienda is an instructor in poetry and culture at Srinakharinwirot University. His recent collection of poetry is A Promise for Siam. Visit his poetry column at www.bangkokpost.com/poetry You can send your poem by email. Mark the subject line: Poet Tree and send to this address: learningpost@bangkokpost.co.th

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Last modified: June 30, 2003