Erasures: A fragmented Art

Poetry series: 2/30

Erasures are full of possibilities. It is a form that plays around with words, also called blackout poetry. Sometimes erasing words reveals new meanings to the original work. Erasures can be created from any text, including books, newspapers, letters, or other poems. The process is simple and involves selectively choosing the words or phrases you want to keep and then crossing out or blacking out the rest of the text. Though this is where someone can exercise word choices as a beginner, this form needs a lot of practice to excel.

This is what I did with the brochure 'Prepare for the Hurricane' I got from Publix:

You have the freedom to play around and have fun with the language.

Erasure allows for a deeper exploration of words and their meanings. Selecting and erasing specific words can reveal hidden meanings and connections that were not initially evident. You'll know the importance of your choices of words, as poetry is a word art!

Though it has its own criticism, all you need is a piece of writing that could have voices, including political context or strong experiences of marginalized groups. Despite that, erasure poetry remains a powerful and valuable tool for poets. 

Here are the types of Erasures you can try:

1. Cross/Blackout

   

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2. Cut and Collage

   

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3. Reform (You can select the words and rearrange them the way you want)

   

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4. Draw/Cover

   

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5. Irregular type (Computer typed)

   

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   A fun way to start doing poetry!

   I am excited for you! You should try it out!