Disclaimer: this post is not a judgement either way on Rhymes on the Rocks's accessibility. It is merely a discussion about how limited use of your body can influence the way that poetry is performed and written.
Even as a wheelchair user, I haven't before considered the idea of how performing and writing poetry is impacted by being in said wheelchair. I have acknowledged it as a passing thought, but never considered it in any great depth. Having a disability does that to you; noticing differences, only to mentally discard them as much as possible, hoping to make the best of what we have got. This thought came about during Rhymes on the Rocks (a very good poetry event, if you would like to check it out!), and a discussion with Daragh Fleming. These different circumstances lead me to needing to explore just how much poetry and its effect is influenced by how it is performed. Whether I do it justice is another thing entirely.
The way I see it, there are three main components to poetry:
The words
How they are performed
Whether the words are written particularly to be read or listened to
You may be surprised to know that there is quite a difference. I will be touching on it again later, but it is important to consider the content of a poem, and how it will be received. These are two separate things to keep in mind — and then ‘marry together’ as much as possible.
How a poem is performed
The effect of a poem can be influenced by the way in which a poem is performed. This is particularly apparent when comparing the fact that one person may perform a poem in a monotone voice, and another person may feed some emotion into their voice. I particularly like to feel the same emotion reading it as I did when I wrote it — and even the emotion I felt during the situation that might have prompted me to write said poem (this is going to look really bad if that does not come across). That way, particular nuances or verbal stresses are easier to remember and focus on. With that, there is a the hope that the audience (or reader) will pick up on that same emotion. This then adds a layer of immersion.
Using body language
I have noticed that some poets use body language to further express the meaning behind their words (like an extension of manipulating the emotion in your voice). These components come together to create a powerful poem. But what happens when mobility affects your ability to use and manipulate these different aspects?
If your physical movement is restricted, then your words have to be the movement. An audience must feel, and be able to visualise and comprehend precisely how you want them to feel; how you want them to interpret the words. From this, there is a realisation of the gap between the literal words and how they may be interpreted — and therefore, the meaning that an audience may or may not take away from the words. There comes the understanding of needing to lead the audience in a certain direction, but allowing them to connect the dots themselves. This is where the power of poetry is. Any type of writer will understand that — to a certain extent — writing is leading a reader in a certain direction and then interpreting it as they wish. That is to say that there is not always a right or wrong way of interpreting a piece of written work, but at the same time, depending on the piece, there can be very specific interpretations that writers would like you to understand in your own way.
When your movement is restricted, it is important that the words carry more power and do most, if not all, of the expression. This is where considering your audience is very important. For me, the last line needs to pack a punch and bring it all together. Remember how I was saying that we need to lead the audience in a certain direction? It is like comedy, in the sense that we are preparing the punchline — the part where we've connected all the dots, and maybe even laugh.
Poetry and disability
On a slight side note, a lot of my poetry focuses on mental health and my experience of the world. And that most definitely has been manipulated by the fact that I'm a wheelchair user. So, if I'm performing my poetry and physical movement is not my strongest suit, you can see how the impact of words and emotion may support as a replacement to physical expression.
In my experience, people have a tendency to underestimate those that they perceive to have a disability. So the fact that I can pack a punch is important to me (not literally). Just because I have a disability does not mean that I have no emotions, feelings, or opinions. I feel that my experience of a disability has deepened my levels of reflection and perception of the world, and I like to think that that comes across in my writing — whatever the topic.
Feeding into this as well is the fact that having a physical disability means that any physical movement is never going to be my greatest strength. That being so, I have to do whatever I can in order to mitigate that, and make the most of what I have. Which explains why the power of words, the imagery, and the syntax of my delivery is so important.
Safe to say, if your movement is restricted then the words and the meaning they carry — with the interpretation and the imagery — are very important for me. The imagery and resonance of poetry, and the direction that it leads an audience or reader, is what can replace the lack of movement. That is not to say that these are completely isolated devices; they are different components of poetry working together to create an overall meaning or feeling. Hence why we need an audience to remember, we need an audience to feel.
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