At the core is poetry always visual?

Why? Because poetry is forged from language and language is visual. The obvious, calligraphy. Letters shape space.

What if, the poet uses a preponderance of vowel? Or has a predilection to upright letters (like “t” & “h”) or curves (mind your “p’s” & “b’s”). And of vowels, mostly curves.



What’s straightforward/what’s cursive or fanciful in food? Carrots & eggplant. Meatballs & shoestring potatoes.

Page poems aren't an accommodation of line only, are they?

Words accommodate shape/space. Sculptured. Sound. Architecture.




Food accommodates the necessary & unexpected. Activates taste buds.

What influences a poet's cache of frequently used words?

Season
Reading
Other art forms
Criticism
Workshops
Degree-getting
Laziness
Age


What references a cook’s repertoire?

See above. Also add “ing” to the first word on the list: thanks.

Is the ripe inescapable in a poem?

Intrinsically, does the poet reach for the seasonally ripe whether fruit/vegetable, length of light, and weather?




Food is necessary for the poet – energy & fodder. Have you noticed, this season peaches have been inspirational.

Is sound a poem's plotless narrative?

Yup.


Intrinsically, food is sound. In the preparation. In the taking.

Does the writing differ when a poet is pulling together a book?

Singular & plural. Writing an individual poem or working on a project.


Consider the signature dish vs. an entire meal. Ingredients don’t different. But the presentation does. Outcome, too.

Does a poem establish a relationship with the reader?

When successful. What follows: affection/good will, instruction & wise counsel, healthy boundaries, the look within & beyond. A hardy seed beyond judgment or expectation.



Mouths & ears ripe with personal predilections. Some can’t abide okra or pretzel. Others revel. Regardless, conversation immanent. Clear windows.