When I first got the chance to check out Amy Marques’ Parts, I had no expectations. I knew it was a poetry collection. And I knew it was visual poetry. That’s about it. Then I saw the subtitle: A visual poetry erasure of Thomas Wolfe’s “The Party at Jack’s”. Having limited experience with erasure poetry, I was a little apprehensive. Would I like it? Would I even get it? After taking some time to explore the collection, I realized my worries were absolutely ridiculous.
Marques includes a fantastic introduction that lays out how this work came to be, how she came to painting, to poetry, to Thomas Wolfe. It works as a helpful intro to not just the collection, but to erasure poetry itself, easing in a novice like me. Did I mention this is not just erasure poetry, but visual erasure poetry? In other words, there are pictures! Perfect for a visual person like myself.
One of the first erasures in the collection is one I keep coming back to. It’s a page filled with colorful paint spots, a cut out of a hot air balloon, and the words “They sometimes used obviously hypocritical voice.” (p.11) left strewn throughout the spots. I love the whimsy of the image juxtaposed against the more serious-sounding language.
The next page is a collage that closely resembles the cover of Shel Silverstein’s The Giving Tree. The words on this page read “The Giving Tree / To make someone secure and artistically privileged until maximum story appears.” Even though each page can be read and enjoyed as a separate poem, these first few erasures seem to be connected, laying out a description of the very act of creating erasure poetry. “I succeed somewhat trying to work on complex web of themes.” (p.13) And succeed she does.
Marques artfully covers themes that range from nature, to family, to dreams, to love. From birds and bees to the birds and the bees. A page painted with the colors of a sunrise leaving bare the words “Morning erect. Sense of power, with the sultry and lavish aromatic play. And then umph. And, finally, considerable satisfaction. Earnest.”(p.52) This is followed by a page painted in shades of red, a magazine cut out with a woman’s lips, and “Side to side. Pleasantly. Firm stroking finger tip. Gently holding. Arched. Grunted. Slight tug for a moment. Satisfied. But always excellently.” (pg 53)
To take a single page of existing text and create a meaningful poem from the words already there is a feat all its own. But to consistently find your own meaning on every page of a book filled with someone else’s words, from beginning to end is beyond impressive. Marques accomplishes this and more all the way through this collection and masterfully ties it all up with her final erasure. A page covered in black paint sponged over the words, leaving us with “Everyone should be compelled to read.” (p.188) A sentiment I could not possibly agree with more. And should you feel that compulsion, you should start with this book.
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