The September Poems

(Inspired by The 1933 Century Dictionary)

INTRODUCTION AND INDEX

Having just been intensely studying Sanskrit, Grammar, Linguistics, Writing Systems, et al -- I had rather lost my inspiration. Too much fact finding, rule imbibing scares the creative spirit so, naturally, I was falling into a bit of a depression. Therefore, I let a new form invent itself, i.e. its how the first draft of the first poem came out --

four quatrains and a coda rhyming: - a - a / - a - a / - a - a / - b - b / - - ?

and I choose the title-word of the day, eyes closed, finger pointing, within the pages for one letter of the alphabet in the 1933 Century Dictionary (my long-time favorite word-list, because of its delicious definitions). So it's one more open-ended adventure -- life. I enjoy these wanderings on the "grid", they lead to undreamt possibilities. Aside from which, on day two, my depression lifted. What more can one ask of a poem? -- the process of poetry!

Jan Haag
September 2, 1999
University of Washington
Seattle, Washington

ALPHABETICAL INDEX