HCSHR 5:07 – Scott Metz, ea’s e

HCSHR 5:07 – Scott Metz,  ea’s e. Winchester, Virginia: Red moon Press, 2022.  978-1-947271-95-1.  230 pages.  20$US

Review by Dave Read

“Ease”, or “easy”? The answer is neither. Or both. Scott Metz, a master of the short form haiku/poetry hybrid, has made use of every poetic trick up his sleeve in crafting his latest book, the ironically titled ea’s e. Creative punctuation, enjambment, line breaks, shape, puns, mind mapping, and more, all find their places in Metz’s poetry. Twisting his words into a multiplicity of meaning, Metz opens worlds of thematic possibilities as varied as the imaginations of his readers. 

An example of the complex and compelling structures of Metz’s poems can be found in the following piece:

after the
punch

line
the head

line
branches

When this poem is read with pauses at the spaces between lines, the word “line”, both times it occurs, becomes a verb. Here, we are left with a list of instructions for what to do after the punch: 1. line the head; 2. line branches. However, if one follows the enjambment and reads “punchline” and “headline” as nouns, we are presented with a very different poem. The reading becomes “after the punchline, the headline branches”. Metz’s structure allows for unique readings and meanings: shifting between the violence of a punch and the humour of a punchline.

Metz creates a similar effect with his use of punctuation:

          she can. Only

take. So, many

                  butter.

                                     flies.

                    hitting.

                                         The wind.

        . Shield

If one reads straight through, the poem becomes a simple statement: “she can only take so many butterflies hitting the windshield”. However, the excessive use of periods, along with the piece’s shape and spacing, encourage various readings. The periods’ frequency and odd placements allow the reader to choose which ones to follow and which to ignore. We are given the opportunity here to play and participate. In an exaggerated manner, this poem recalls the old saying in haiku that “the writer and reader co-compose the poem”. 

ea’s e also features many poems that utilize more conventional haiku structures in both one and three lines. Consider the following two haiku:

a piece of the stone god in its shadow

rusted fogline
a piece of plastic 
in each talon

The first poem is a well written one-line haiku that allows for two readings. One may read the poem straight through. In this case, the god becomes a “stone god” and the subject of “its shadow” is not clear. Alternatively, a different reading occurs when one allows for a pause after the word “stone”. Here, an image arises where god is in the shadow of “a piece of the stone”. The second poem follows a conventional haiku structure. The first line is the fragment, with an adjective and noun, and the phrase occurs in lines two and three. This haiku captures an environmentalist theme. The fogline is “rusted” and a bird’s talons are embedded with plastic. The negative impact of humanity on nature is vivid.

Scott Metz’s book ea’s e is a large, sprawling examination of the possibilities of short form poetry. This review has only scratched the surface of its 230 pages. This book is recommended for all readers, especially those who enjoy experimentation—of haiku and other short poems.

Dave Read
May, 2022

*****

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