Another Ani-Poetry Moment

 

Ani-poetry: just another way to say animated poetry (less syllables!)

Of course, "30 Days of Rain" isn't enough to keep animated poetry indoors.

We continue with Ana Maria Uribe's Anipoemas.

Like this one: Bubbles

    Where it could be obvious what you should see on the screen, but the forms aren't really just bubbles. You would almost expect to see bubbles, but actually the actions of the bubbles occur.

The forms are letters, and words in Spanish:

    "Burbujas" (Bubbles)

    "Explotan" (Explode)

    

Even though it isn't so colorful, and musical as "30 Days of Rain"; Uribe's anipoems seduce a second thought when you first encounter them. The entire background of the site is black save for the animated poem with black typewriter font blinking and moving. Questions such as "Why do bubbles explode?" Or, "Why is that significant?" Couldn't the bubble just be a symbol for hopes/dreams that burst once we let them go, just as we blow the bubbles away in their creation?

Or another that makes you ask:

Separation

By Annie Abrahams

This can be viewed in either English or French; though I think it sounds more beautiful in French than in English. It is a poem that you have to click for all the text to come out. [Believe me I clicked and stared at the screen for awhile before I read the fine text] The blank screen will do something if you click on it. Separation is felt in the poem itself; where does the "lonely soul" connect with reader's computer usage? Pain and anxiety and loneliness all related to a visit to the hospital (if you go alone). The text seems to stop at usage, but then there are other actions that the writer demands from the reader. It's a poem that you want to click fast to absorb all the text, but as soon as you start hyper clicking; the screen returns to a slow message to basically click slowly. And slowly you are allowed to follow the rest of the text. There is a lot of "you" in her message, but it's implied that "you" is not just the indifferent observer, but someone specific to the speaker.

So if you need a lesson in patience, then "Separation" will teach.

Will teach you caress yourself, to take courage, to do a number of things that aren't commonly thought of; and of course, if you rush, you'll be slowly scolded.

When you sit a computer, do you tense and race through? Should- can you slowly take in the input and pause, click softly and respond?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Who’s Afraid of Animated Poetry?

You won't be after you see this

Yes, we are leaving our dear friend, Hypertext Poetry for animated poetry. We begin a new chapter in our journey into e-poetry!

Animated Poetry [or anipoetry for short]

• The title would be self explanatory though it's not really: animation is more like a televised poem
  
• Or, the poem moves, the words, the images, there could even be music
  
• And it is mostly symbolic or very abstract; it leaves you and I-the audience/readers to interpret or connect the dots on the meaning behind the parts of the poem.
  
• like most e-poetry, it varies in what it is; although I have tried to steer away from this: many pieces of e-poetry cross themselves-it could be hypertext with animation like John Hegley's "What a Poem's Not" [why? The hyperlinked words at the end of the lines activate the animations on the right of the poem]
  

Example of the Post: "30 Days of Rain"

• Created by Travis Alber.
  
• This is poem [or does it stretch the contents our above discussion?] is a beautiful, [ever had one of those-what does this button do moment? Yeah-this poem] content rich piece with music, images and reminds me of this [yes, I spent a lot of pre-DH time there].
  
• Why 30 days of rain? Click on the calendar on the floor for each of the days on the calendar to find out. Each day has a different part of the poem.
  
• One thing is for sure: Sylvia Plath definitely didn't see this one when she wrote: "But I remember what it said on one rejection slip: After a heavy rainfall, poems titled RAIN pour in from across the nation"
  
  • Of course, Alber didn't just write one day-it's 30 days of rain!