Sunday, October 24, 2010

Found poetry?

I found this.
Harman
Machine wash in cold water
Separately. Do not mix with
Dark colors. Do not use bleach.
Lay flat to dry. Iron if necessary.

Is it poetry?

4 comments:

  1. Hmmm. I think I say yes.
    The line breaks make it seem like there's supposed to be more meaning than there actually is.

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  2. When first reading it, I felt no immediate emotional response - as all poetry should at least initiate. However, it may be attempting to delve into something deeper.

    Who (or what) is Harman? Is he a person? Is this maybe a comment on his values and/or beliefs?

    Originally I wrote 'no' as the first sentence of this comment, but I deleted it as I realized that this may be something more. Yes, poetry should initiate an emotional response on some level, but maybe this is the result of a more contrived attempt.

    Where did you 'find' this poetry Duncan?

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  3. I found it on a tea towel.
    Harman appears to be a brand of tea towels.
    Makes me think of the old Harman's drugstore on Portage Avenue in Winnipeg, and of the big lunk Herman in the comics.

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  4. When I first read this, I immediately recognized it as some kind of garment label. After reading it a few more times, it actually does seem like poetry. I laughed to myself when I found that I could even argue that it's racist poetry. It seems like the line breaks place extra emphasis on the separation of the dark colors from the light. Maybe I'm just reading it that way because I'm brown, lol.

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