Structure. Structure. Structure. Villareal is a architectural poetic genius!
I fought with myself when trying to decide whether to devote my post to the content of the words of Villareal's work or the way they lay on the page- they are equally worthy of time and space.
lit bit of both?
Villareal has broken the page and I couldn't be more thankful. She hasn't simply disrupted the poet's page, nor just the academic page, she has broken them all. Through her text and image presentation, Villareal has reminded us how important it is to forget our taught politeness. Villareal has reminded us that there are no rules applied to the storyteller- the story is afterall all deserving of every kind of page, of all authoritative and soft poetic voices in order to perform.
This text is a performance.
When I settle into read Villareal I imagine her sitting at a kitchen table, covered in plastic vinyl, a lemon print cloth underneath it. She calls me over: "ven, sentarte", she waves her grandmother's palm, red and plump with heat from patting tortillas on the comal.
We sit and we eat, frijoles de olla: the special occasion of the everyday. She hands me the chile, I over pour the perfect amount, we eat till our bellies are full and we are confronted with the clay bottom of the pot.
This is how I read Villareal's poems, fast and with hunger-scooping spoonfuls of small pieces packed with protein, holding enough sustenance to carry an athlete to across countries and there I was shoveling mounds of it into my mouth, laughing and crying all along- teeth and chewed food showing.
Jesi,
ReplyDeleteI agree, the structure of Villareals poems was distinct and creative as a visual on the page, much like the photographs she included. "A picture may be worth a thousand words, but Villarreal's words create a thousand pictures. Her poem's are alive with imagery and are overflowing with a raw emotion that wouldn't let go of me until she had finished.
I love, love, love your visual at the kitchen table. It is so vivid and inviting! What a great way to experience her poetry. I had to read and reread, and then stop and digest, the dense, bittersweet, painful and beautiful meaning she was laying out in her words. Thanks for that image!
Mel
i would love a little more detail on how you saw this picture form, and felt the architecture contributed to the power of the work. Your affiliation with the work is powerful.
ReplyDeletee