ARTWORDS

A volume of visual poetry offers experiments with image and form.

Poetry is primarily a text medium, but it doesn’t have to be. “I wanted to do poetry that was inspired by other forms of literature and written in a manner where it could be seen as a piece of artwork as well,” writes Robles in her introduction. What follows are 82 pieces that do just that, making use of three visually striking poetic forms. Calligrams are poems written to take the shape of objects. “Playtime” is formatted to look like a kite, its lines enjambed into a diamond outline: “I / couldn’t / get mine / up. No matter / how hard I / pulled and tugged / on it.” Redactive poems, which feature erasures, highlight certain words or letters in found texts. For example, “The writing” is culled from a page of the novel A Wedding in Decemberby Anita Shreve: “a secret / story / lingered / impressing / i / n / to / her memory / the man / produced / her / anxiety / trailing / whiffs of / distance / between them.” There are also pieces that the author calls photographs, in which poems are written on or near objects and then shot. “Pretty Tiring” is printed on a hair comb: “You want me looking beautiful. As long as I see you before I head out. You won’t let me leave like I just got up after rolling in bed all disheveled.” Robles’ poems are free verse, their meanings related closely to their forms, as in “Deserted,” a calligram in the shape of a cupcake that tells the story of a waitress experiencing sexual harassment from a customer. The poems are plainspoken and rarely remarkable as pure text, though the author displays an economy of language and has an ear for the rhythms of normal speech. The most arresting pieces are the photographs, which feel more like contemporary art pieces combining photography, sculpture, and poetry. They are eye-catching in a pop-art way. “Bonding” is presented on the back of a glue bottle, while “Best Glove” is written on a pair of rubber gloves. The book is an undeniably fun one, and in the best pieces, the words and images come together to be more than the sum of their parts.

A playful, eye-popping collection of poems.