Herta Müller and Collage Poetry
Knees drawn to his chest, Pomi sat huddled on the window sill. As I came closer I heard tiny sobs.
” Pomi?”
” Go away.” He sniveled.
” What is going on? Why are you upset?”
” You went out last night and did not take me with you.”
” I went to a reading by Herta Müller. I did not think you’d want to go.”
” You could have asked me.”
” The reading was in German, and you don’t speak German, so I presumed you wouldn’t be interested.”
” Oh, you presumed? You know what? You presumed wrong. I do not speak German. But that is no reason to leave someone behind. I could have learned from Herta Müller. ” Pomi still sniffled.
” Ok darling, I am sorry. I will not leave you at home again. As far as learning from Herta Müller is concerned, she is a famous novelist and poet and was awarded the Nobel Prize in literature in 2009. She must be a very busy woman. Do you really think she teaches German? And if she did, why should she teach you?’
” Why not? Pomi gave me a reproachful look. ” How was the reading?”
” It was very interesting. I am glad I went. I was sure I would not make it because the plane was so behind schedule.”
” Yes but in the end we arrived on time and you ran to that reading, forgetting all about me.” Pomi was sobbing again.
” Please stop crying my little darling. I will take you with me next time and look here, I bought Herta Müller’s most recent book: Vater telefoniert mit den Fliegen.”
” Let me see.” Pomi demanded and I put the book on the table. Pomi looked it over and started to leaf through the pages.
” Words cut from newspapers?”
” Herta Mueller makes collage poetry. ”
” Collage poetry?”
” It means cutting words and letters from newspapers and magazines and combining them into poems and literary texts. Fascinating.”
Pomi studied the book for a long time.
” I can do that? ” he decided.
” You can? ”
” Of course I can. Give me a newspaper, an English newspaper and a pair of scissors.”
Luckily I had kept the paper I had read on the plane and gave it to Pomi.
He started to cut out words. For the rest of the day he was busy cutting and I did not hear a single word from him.
When he decided that there were enough words he started to dig through the clippings and puzzled them together.
” Done!” He finally called out.
“There it is. My puzzle poem.”
” Collage poem, ” I corrected.
” My first collage poem, ” a pleased Pomi said and he was beaming with pride.
So touching. And informative, too. Like Pomi, I’m unfamiliar with collage poetry. Glad that both of you are having such an interesting time. 🙂
P.S. Love Pomi’s new hat.
We are having a wonderful time. Friday night Pomi will accompany me to Amos Oz’s reading :-).
Herta Müller’s collage poems are fascinating, I don’t know if there are translations into English, I do doubt it somehow.
You love Pomi’s new hat? He has a new bag too ;-).
What a wonderfull story again 🙂 and I´m happy that you both feel comfortable:-)
Pomi a collage poet! WOW! Congratulations dear boy!
YOu are very smart with your new hat:-) I like it! 🙂
My little collage poet smiles and says thank you :-)!