Jimmy BurnsWOUNDED DICTIONRecently at a poetry reading I was asked by a student what was most important skill for a poet with disabilities? I remarked I didn't consider myself as a poet with disabilities because the term implies victimization to my disability. In contrast, I consider myself a poet who lives comfortably in my world of poetry and who also deals with impairment as a matter of fact. Someone else asked, "isn't that a contrivance of diction?" I grinned and replied, "exactly!" DICTION...DICTION...DICTION...is the most important tool and sometimes the most neglected in the arsenal of poetic clutter. Simple definition of diction is "word choice." Applied to poetry diction is how a poet chooses words to convey thought and meaning in verse. This includes detonation, connotation and tone. Diction enables the poet to explore the ever expanding universe. Impairment doesn't limit the word choices, it advances possibility for the poet. After my 2005 stroke I spent two month in a rehabilitation hospital with a limited vocabulary. I became aware of what I term "wounded diction." This is "word choice" affected by type and severity of impairment. During my hospital stay doctors, nurses and therapists exposed me to a plethora of jargon and clinical terminology about my new condition. During the first week of my stay, I remember being rolled in a temporary wheelchair to the community room where stroke survivors were given a glimpse of what our lives might become. Their "med speak" flowed like a foreign language without pause or punctuation. I must confess that I was baffled by most of the language used by the experts. However, one therapist compared a stroke to a black hole in space. She suggested that we had survived the "horizon event." When I returned to my poetry her comparison stuck in my mind. I frequently refer to "black holes" in my choice of words even though I am five years removed from my "horizon event." Due to my left side paralysis my definition of left and right is often warped and in conflict with normalcy (but what is normal?). One therapist complained with frequency about my "left side deficit" and my "left side neglect." On the other hand, some critics of my poetry carp about my use of irregular line break which sometimes ignores "right justification." Ambiguity of meaning offers the poet the opportunity to play with words. Diction affected by impairment. The duality of definition and tone often provides poets with options in word choice. The number and frequency of my daily medications also influences the subjects of my poetry. One specific prescription is a drug called "Warfarin" which is used as a blood thinner for humans, but is also used as a "rat killer." This variation of usage and meaning inspired me to write the following poem which appeared in the Summer Edition (2010) of Pegasus: Warfarin
Stroke victim The use of irony in my selection of diction gives me the opportunity to explore the dual meaning of a word I come in contact with ever day When I read poetry by other poets with impairment I am fascinated with the use of the word "cripple" (slang "crip"). Some scream it as a vile pejorative. Others wear it as a badge of honor to be lauded as a virtue. The employment of diction to give value in the interpretation becomes the prerogative of the poet. Diction is crucial to all poets and greatly influences the flow and the meaning of their poems. "Wounded diction" incorporates the experiences of the poet who also deals daily with impairment. Rather than fewer word choices, poets with impairments offer a luxurious wealth in diction. Life and disabilities coexist in the context of our language. The words we choose in our poetry continue after we are gone, therefore we must choose our words carefully.
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