The Visual Poem

with poems by Jared Beloff & Anthony Cody & prompts by Jared Beloff

What might we accomplish and convey with a visual poem (specifically with a flowchart poem)? How might an experimental form like this one elevate our voices?

Do any of you poets have one or two poetic forms that seem impossible to utilize effectively? I do. For me, they are the triple sonnet (Dorothy Chan’s signature form) & the Abecedarian. They are very different forms & there are completely different reasons why I struggle with each of them. I have also never written a visual poem to my satisfaction. So when I come across effective visual poems, I find them to be things of awe & wonder.

Photo by Martin Adams on Unsplash

Today’s guest writer, Jared Beloff (check out his new anthology Poets of Queens 2!) was one of my earliest feedback partners & one of my first friends as I began to engage deeply with the literary community online during Covid. Neither of us had yet published books when we became friends! He and I have very different writing styles and often write about very different themes. However, we have a mutual respect for one another’s work and have mutual trust—something I am so grateful for.

When Jared’s poem (see below) was published in AGNI, it was a true cause for celebration! AGNI has been on my dream publication list for a very long time. And the fact that this poem explores duality & identity in a concrete, visual, experimental form makes me love it even more.

From guest writer Jared Beloff: Below you will find my experimental poem "Kapparot" which appeared in AGNI, Issue 99 this year. The poem is based around an old ritual swinging of a chicken over the head of a person to receive their sins on the Jewish day of atonement Yom Kippur and my struggle over feeling legitimate in the face of being a patrilineal Jew that many would not consider Jewish enough or Jewish at all.

Here is “Kapparot” (originally published in AGNI).

Okay! Ready to write?