Mark Strand's "Eating Poetry" focuses on a man with an uncontrollable appetite for poetry's words. The element that is most prominent in "Eating Poetry" is surrealism. Surrealism is a literary movement that sought to express the creative potential of the subconscious by creating works that often contained the juxtaposition of certain images. Some instances of surrealism can be found in the speaker’s actions, the appearance of certain creatures, and the speaker’s transformation.
The first instance of surrealism is clearly portrayed in the first stanza of the poem: "Ink runs from the corners of my mouth. There is no happiness like mine. I have been eating poetry."(lns. 1-3). "The opening line--"Ink