Response to "The Grey Line"

Experimental Literature

            All of the poem choices on course reserve were fascinating to me, but I felt that the poem “The Grey Line,” was the most striking poem that was also understandable. The piece itself is somewhere in-between a poem typed in a normal manner and a completely abstract and alternative poem. I really like that the title of the poem is itself incorporated into the visual design of the poem as the grey line is the line of the word ‘grey’ that connects the poem through a vertical line in two columns. I think that in creating such a visually dynamic and poetically pleasing piece the author was hoping to get their audience members to interact with the piece visually, mentally, and with a great deal of imagination. If you read the poem through straight without concerning yourself with context it is not challenging to read as some poems have the words broken up or the lines are all over the page, but the meaning and visualization of the piece takes a little extra work. The grey line itself is very visually intriguing in the consistency of the word simply as a word, as a color, a descriptor and as a monotone of life. I do not think that this repetition of this particular word makes the poem gloomy or depressing as I would first expect but it gives the piece consistency on different levels. This is because sometimes the grey implies blandness or dull qualities and sometimes it is pleasant and calming. In addition, the choice the author made to display the lines as entering from the left and ending with the word ‘grey’ and then beginning with ‘grey’ for other lines is also visually and imaginatively intriguing. They add dimension and visual intrigue throughout the poem. I also found that the color blue is also used frequently as a color tone and as an emotional state of blue-grey. This choice I think is significant because blue is a relaxing tone visually and emotionally yet it can also be a bit somber like grey itself. The combination of these two colors provides for a visually(picture in the mind) pleasing notion of a calm and relaxed world.

            I feel like the composer of this particular piece of artwork and poetry displayed their piece in such a creative fashion to add depth and as I said visual reference. I think that they wanted to stay away from the traditional approach to writing and displaying poetry because they did not want the viewer or reader to just read the poem for the words on the page but to examine the placement and choice of the words on the page. The meaning of this poem extends beyond the lines and phrases of words used and can be discovered in the ‘grey line’ that acts as a median, a focal point for viewers and a center for imagination and discovery. The end of the poem is also very significant because it is the area of which grey is repeated directly a few times without any attached words/lines and the lines that are attached are the most prominent descriptions of grey at peace and in happiness-“pretty grey” “silver grey,” “grey on the skyline.”

            I think that going into this piece I had an open mind to visual creativity and this open mind and a free imagination are the only things that a potential reader really needs to have to understand the poem. This piece is not as abstract as some other pieces but a strong imagination is still key to understanding the piece and in welcoming its’ creativity and potential. I think that another key in recognizing the visual creativity in this piece is to notice that many lines are simple 2-3 word descriptions always using the word grey and others are longer visualizations of what the word can imply and relate to. For my own future work I would really like to incorporate these ideas of forming sentences around a central word in the center of the page. I think that this is very interesting and intriguing. In this piece and form in particular, also the method is not overwhelming so that the repetition does not get to be annoying, but it is rather a good focal point of interest and design on the page. Another creative element that I would like to use in the future is the use of designing the lines to meet in the center coming from both the left and the right sides of the center line of grey.

            **I could not figure out how to properly also post the peice itself-with the copyright and everything but it is one of the poems from The Order of Things:Scottish Sound, Pattern, and Concrete Poetry.
The piece is created by Donald Urquhart.