since late 2019 i have been working on what i call
book shaped kinetic poetry sculptures
during lockdown 1 in 2020, i started writing meta haiku - poems in which, i wilfully used, and misused, the haiku form itself to add an extra level of meaning and metaphor to the words of the poems. since then i have also added the meta use of the material and page to which the words themselves are inextricably linked
the first of this type of haiku i wrote was 'broken haiku' which appears in my book, 'red, white &' which i created during a breakdown after lockdown number one
just as the individual poems often operate on a meta level within themselves, the concept behind all of my book shaped poetry sculptures itself is a meta metaphor - a metaphor for trans identity - these are all trans poems
each piece asks to be seen outside of preconceived expectations of book, page, poem and word - the reader is asked to interact conceptually and haptically with each poem differently - they each have their own pace - their own rules of engagement - they require patience, understanding and a gentle touch - the reader is asked to invest more time and effort than they would in 'normal' pages and poetry - for those willing to engage on the terms of the poem - it's worth it Xx
