Sunday, July 08, 2012

I read like a poet

One important thing about poetry is
the line breaks,
the little pauses that we are forced to take
when reading
a poem.

Today
as I was driving down the road
I saw a sign.
It was a sign for a clinic.
It was not a poem
but I read it like
a poem
and it sounded...
weird
in my head.

The sign read:

OsteoArthritis
Centers of America.

Did you notice it?
The little pause after
OsteoArthritis?

I know that it is suppose to be
simply:
OsteoArthritis Centers of America
but they didn't write it that way
so I didn't read it that way
and
I suppose if it had been written
the way it was meant to be read
it wouldn't have fit so nicely
on the sign.

What about you?
Do you read like a poet?

3 comments:

  1. I notice unusual line breaks in signs like that, too.

    Since I write fiction, I pay attention to line breaks and white space on a page. I like to give a paragraph or single sentence the most impact, so I it helps to put in the right place.

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  2. That is a really insightful piece of writing. I look at words like that, too.

    Have you ever gotten stuck on a word like a mantra in your head? It loses its meaning and becomes just a sound.

    Can't think of a good example right now but I think you know what I mean.

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  3. Ha! I know exactly what you mean. I'm glad I'm not the only crazy person in the world. ;-)

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