The True Meaning Of Arthur Sze's Poem

I attended the Magill 32nd annual poetry event which featured the renowned poet Arthur Sze. I enjoyed the experience and after listening to some of his poems, I realized that Arthur is an extremely talented and versatile poet. First, Sze introduced himself, giving the audience a better idea of who he is and where he is from. He then proceeded to read from his collection of poems, but he would first describe the significance of the poem and its underlying meanings. By doing so, Sze was able to provide the audience with some context, which allowed me to better understand the poem and its significance. This is why I enjoy listening to author's read their poems aloud more than I enjoy reading the poems online. I am able to not only learn about
For example, in his poem the "Midnight Loon," Sze compares the setting to that of a place in Japan, describing in detail the gravel courtyard and the ocean waves. By doing so, Sze is able to convey to the audience the impact that Japan has had on him. Furthermore, before reading the poem "Kintsugi", Sze explained to us that kintsugi is a Japanese word for repairing broken pottery. According to Sze, this practice is honorable and has much historical significance. This brief explanation helped me to understand how the title plays into the poem because at one point, the subject of the poem was gathering shards to repair a gray bowl. The subject was in fact practicing kintsugi, and this was actually an extremely crucial moment in the poem, if not the most important. This valuable piece of information that Sze provided allowed me to appreciate the poem more fully, thus enhancing my experience of this
Many of the poems he read incorporated technological and scientific inventions, which I thought added a rational and modern aspect to the poem. Some of these words also caused me to pause and think for a second, recalling information that I learned from 9th grade science class. For example, many of his poems featured the atomic element Plutonium and he utilized scientific terms such as "nucleus," "X-rays," "supernova," and "lunar eclipse" throughout his poems. I thought these scientific terms served to add a technical aspect to the poems, making them more intricate and captivating.
In addition to technology, I also noticed that Sze frequently incorporated elements of nature in his poems, which creates an interesting juxtaposition with the scientific terms, adding more depth to his poems. Sze utilizes imagery to describe elements of nature such as rivers, oceans, rain, and the moon. A variety of animals are also featured throughout Sze's poems including the Siberian tiger, rabbit, snake, turkey, and hyena. I enjoy how Sze is able to skillfully compliment these elements of nature with aspects of the technological world to create a multifaceted