The poem developed out of the key phrase, "acting as if it was important", that started revolving in my mind. The only change I made subsequent to the workshop was to close up the gaps between lines. I came to think of the shape as a spindle, perhaps influenced by the 3-D kinetic 'poem cones' of the artist Liliane Lijn in the 1960s – sculptural concrete poems that literally rotated. I was pleased with the group's discussion, though it was not particularly concerned to evaluate the poem, or question specific points. I remain interested in working with permutation of restricted texts: focussing on linguistic minutiae because I enjoy them and also think larger concerns are often distilled in this way.
The epigraph, which I place at the foot rather than the head of the poem, is from Aristotle's 'Nichomachean Ethics', translated by David Ross (Oxford University Press, 1980), p. 28-9 of the World's Classics paperback edition. This is in Chapter 2, on Moral Virtue, which is prefaced by the statement: "Moral virtue, like the arts, is acquired by repetition of the corresponding acts". My poem is perhaps trying to achieve some kind of 'virtue' by dint of repetitions...
it was
important
if it was important
as if it was important
as it was
as important as
acting as if it was important
acting important
acting it it was as if it was it
as if acting was important
if it was important acting acting
was it as important if it was acting
was it if it was important acting
as important as it was
if it was
it was acting was impo t
was a t acti wing or
s ift tw i
ngwa
For the things we have to learn before we can
do them
we learn by doing them Nichomachean Ethics, trans Ross.