"166 The Michigan Daily Wetdnd Magaine - Thursday, ober 1, 1998

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Weekend etc. Column
LOOKING FOR LITERARY INSPIRATION?
LOCAL WALLS AND HALLS HAVE PLENTY TO SAY

Let's be honest: It's been awhile
since any truly new form of literature
has been invented. We're mired in the
syrupy dregs of post-modernism,
which might be a literary school, but
no one cares. Post-modernism has
deconstructed itself to the point of
ineffectuality. In the meantime,
authors (I use this term loosely, very
loosely) like John Grisham and
Danielle Steele continue to inflict
their writing on the American public.
Well, damn it, I'm here to tell you we
don't have to take their crap anymore.
We finally have a group, right here in
Ann Arbor, whose members we may
designate as poets.
Just who - or what - constitutes
this group? I haven't the slightest
clue. I have unfortunately no ties with
the members of this group, and am
able only to admire their work as I
come across it in the street. In the
street? Yes: In the street. Shocking,
isn't it? Street poetry. I originally
decided, after much careful delibera-
tion, to name the writings of this

movement "Urban Verse," but I've
since decided to change it to Vers
Urbana, because French makes me
sound intelligent.
Vers Urbana
or the Vurb, as I
like to call it -
does not bow to
the traditional use
of paper and pen
as a vehicle for its
poetry. Instead,
these writers
choose to com-
pose upon the ANDREW
imposing man- MORTENSEN
made structures B11 ID1EAS
that comprise the (DON'T GET
city; the very con- ANY)
crete and steel
become their notebook, their publish-
ing company, their collected works. I
have little doubt that, were it possi-
ble, they would reject the use of solid
matter entirely, and compose on the
very air they breathe. But a new
group can only do so much at a time.

Let us leave behind this vaporous
philosophizing and discuss the poetry
itself. First, a few general observa-
tions:
It seems to me that this group rec-
ognizes where it stands in the long
literary tradition. They draw aspects
from past movements and change
them for their own purposes. This is
especially clear in the length of Vurb.
Take, for example, this brilliant piece
by the Poet With Bad Handwriting:
"Jesus=God." Obviously, the mem-
bers of the Vurb movement adhere to
one of the theories of Pound and Des
Imagistes: Admit no word that is jot
absolutely necessary to the poem.
But this short piece, which was
scrawled emotionally on the side of a
local cafe, is much more than a regur-
gitation of juvenile modernism.
Notice, for example, how the Vurbs
manage to blend literature, ineta-
physics, and mathematics, creating
an entirely new form of poetry. The
use of the mathematical sign "=" not
only demonstrates a desire to escape
the tyranny of words, it gives a sense
of tangibility to something we do not
generally consider tangible. The eter-
nal is reduced to a simple mathemat-
ical formula. I defy anyone to show
me where this has been done before.
Enough discussion of the back-
ground: What of the actual poetic
merits of this composition? Without
hesitation, I call it a masterpiece. I
mean, good god, think of the hours
that went into its composition! This is
not the quick, shoddy product of mis-
directed teen angst, nor the trite,

pedantic verse of a pseudo-scholarly
mind running amok. Though I can't
say for sure, it's my guess that you
could find rough drafts of this piece
littering the city if you knew where to
look. If you're interested in locating
these early drafts, I suggest you
check public bathroom stalls, where,
evidently, the Vurbs do some of their
best thinking.
But, you ask, why is it poetry? What
makes it so? That's a very good ques-
tion, and I'd be happy to invent a suit-
able answer for you. Consider, first of
all, the rhythm of the line. The Vurbs
refuse to constrain themselves with
standard meter, choosing to write
instead as people speak, with natural
rhythm. And yet it's apparent that the
Poet With Bad Handwriting under-
stands the use of meter, else how
would this poem be arranged as it is, a
pair of stresses framing a trio of
unstreses? What an uncanny sense of
balance! Sheer genius! Or possibly
mere coincidence; but given the evi-
dence, which do you think it is?
I point further to the fact that this
poem is constituted of a mere five
syllables. What other poetic form
does this recall? Anyone? No, not
"There once was a man from
Nantucket." Put down the book of
dirty limericks and listen to me. I'm
referring to the haiku. The haiku, as
you will remember, is comprised of
three lines, having five, seven, and
five syllables, respectively. The Vurb
poet is making an allusion to the
ancient poetic form by using just five
syllables in his composition; paying

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the haiku, the respect it deserves...
and then burying the haiku in the dust
of its own obsolescence. Ia this poem,
which I have taken the liberty of nam-
ing "Father and Son," the Vurbs are
clearly saying there is no place in the
present for forms of the past. Down
with the damned sonnet, to hell with
the abused ballad; let the decrepii old
haiku wither and crumble! We must
make our own forms, fit for the psy-
che of our time! If you're not for us,
you're against us! Slogans! Panic in
the streets! Murder! Riot! Mayhem!
Revolution! Taco Bell! Arrg!
Sorry, sorry. I got carried away.
But the point remains the same. Vurb
poetry is incompatible with today's
lethargic society. Which means. of
course, that one or the other must go.
Now, I hate to make predictions, but
I'll make an exception in this case.
For the record, it's my belief that
socicty as we know it will crumble
before the onslaught of the Vurb. Oh,
yes indeed. And there will be hang-
ings! Beheadings! Looting! Burning!
Phew! For a minute there, I lost
myself. And it seems I've run out of
space for this week. Well, never mind,
we'll continue this exhilarating dis-
cussion next time, with a look at
more Vurb writings; and possibly, if I
feel like making one up, a lifelike
interview with one of the mysterious
poets. Until then, I'll be doing a bit
more research into this literary phc-
nomenort. You can find me, if you
need to, in the Men's Room of Mason
Hall, third stall from the left. Please
knock before you enter.
MUSIC
Continued from Page 78
"Most of the people ... all know
their classic rock. Whenever I buy
an album, they always tell me stories
abouttthe album, when they boughi
it in the '60s or '70s."
Disc-Go-Round, a new addition to
the Ann Arbor's used-music scene
that opened last year, has a large
selection of 10,000 used CDs as we!!
as some imports. All CDs cost $7.99
or less.
Music buyers can also find a decent
selection of used music at stores that
sell mostiy new music. Students fre-
quently browse the used music racks at
Wherehouse records,and Discount
Records before heading over to the
more expensive selections of newly
released material.
"About 5 to 10 percent of our selec-
tion is used," said Wally Jones, one of
the managers of Wherehouse Records.
It is yet to be seen what effect the
recent closing of Schoolkids Records
will have on the remaining used music
stores in Ann Arbor.
"Schoolkids was the main draw that
would bring (music collectors) to
town," said Taras. "It's so recently that
Schoolkids has been out of business."


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