# Voice Heard

Author: charles_they
Tags: Black, Blackness, Colonialism, Experimental, History, Metapoetry, Non-Anthro, Poem, Poetry

Not normally the sort of thing I post on here, but here we go.

### voice heard
 

the status of free 

 

verse 

 

poetry 

 

in the Euro-American poetic canon 

 

has heretofore been a question of voices 

 

heard and 

 

            unheard        

 

yet, before the whimsy 

 

of that canon can be discussed, the definition of _voice _

 

_heard _

 

for the purposes of this essay 

 

must be made 

 

explicit. 

 

here, _voice _

 

_heard _

 

denotes four properties: 

 

1) the self-expression of a person; 

 

2) which carries with it the entirety of that person's personal context, in body, mind, 

 

and society; 

 

3) which is publicly available inasmuch as it can reach those who seek to engage with it, 

 

regardless of wealth or status; 

 

            and 

 

4) whose content remains unabated by any institution

 

al force seeking to systematic

 

ally restrict 

 

and promote certain types of expression.

 

having now 

 

the beginnings of a definition of _voice _

 

_heard _

 

— and with the promise of further development 

 

of that definition 

 

to come — 

 

it can now be said that, within the public 

 

scholastic sector, 

 

a single archetype of _voice _

 

_heard_ first 

 

became the voice of the Euro-American poetic canon, 

 

            then 

 

                        subsequently 

 

wrote itself into existence, 

 

and others, 

 

out. 

 

This archetype is the indebted scholar (Harney and Moten 62).

 

 

exploring the voice of the indebted scholar requires 

 

explaining each property 

 

of _voice _

 

_heard,_

 

as only through a voice being heard 

 

can one not hear 

 

another. 

 

this can take many forms: 

 

for the first property, 

 

self-expression is emphasized be

 

cause a person is 

 

capable 

 

of expressing only themselves. 

 

indeed, 

 

when one performs 

 

ethno

 

            graphy, 

 

extracts oral histories, 

 

or reprints 

 

another's free verse, 

 

one harvests another person

 

's self-expression and re-expresses it through one's 

 

own 

 

            situated context. 

 

in this way, the indebted scholar is in a state 

 

of constant re

 

interpretation, collecting and 

 

“offering to match credit for debt" (Harney and Moten 62) as reimbursement 

 

for that person's voice going 

 

            unheard 

 

and the indebted scholar's being heard 

 

— yet that credit comes 

 

in the form of 

 

vouchers 

 

that can only be redeemed within the sphere 

 

of the indebted scholar's 

 

influence. 

 

they will print more 

 

of one's poetry in their ant

 

            hology, 

 

email one direct

 

ly for 

 

calls for submission

 

s, and request pieces 

 

            from one for an upcoming work, 

 

but the indebted scholar decides 

 

the subject 

 

of the anthology, what genres, themes, and 

 

structures 

 

are worth exploring, and who 

 

is appropriate 

 

                        for the task. 

 

the poems will always be 

 

framed by the indebted scholar, who drowns 

 

in lent credit that can never be 

 

redeemed quickly enough.

 

 

with the transformation of one

 

            's voice 

 

into the indebted scholar

 

            's _voice _

 

_            heard,_

 

the second property 

 

of _voice _

 

_heard, _

 

personal context, 

 

is foreclosed upon as the person becomes disembodied 

 

            (Dumit 353), 

 

their physic

 

ality, mentality, and struggles 

 

disappearing, 

 

replaced 

 

by the text of the indebted scholar. 

 

the person is lost in translation 

 

be

 

cause the Euro-American poetic canon 

 

has only one _voice _

 

_heard, _

 

and so those who evaluate 

 

and consume 

 

poetry should be able 

 

to project the indebted scholar 

 

onto 

 

            and 

 

back off of 

 

the page. 

 

in this way, the poet is 

 

credited 

 

for their 

 

            contribution, 

 

the voice is 

 

stripped 

 

from the 

 

            verse 

 

and the verse is 

 

shipped across the 

 

            sea 

 

            to serve 

 

in 

 

            the indebted scholar's exploits. 

 

however, issues arise 

 

when the indebted scholar meets with a dis

 

sonant text: 

 

the free 

 

verse. 

 

when the trained 

 

ear 

 

has learned well the rhythmic lilting _voice _

 

_heard _

 

of the indebted scholar 

 

            and 

 

has since ceased to study 

 

other voices 

 

            (Harney and Moten 62), 

 

it cannot grasp 

 

the free 

 

verse, 

 

as 

 

it has know

 

ledge 

 

only en

 

            compass

 

                        ing 

 

the indebted scholar. 

 

the verse cannot serve the scholar; 

 

the voice cannot be stripped from the verse and rebranded; 

 

            and thus, 

 

the poet cannot be given credit, and only accrues debt 

 

— a debt of speaking into the 

 

void 

 

and listening for the unheard.

 

these acts of speaking 

 

            unheard 

 

and listening 

 

are study (Harney and Moten 62), 

 

an act of know

 

ledge, 

 

where 

 

one empties and loses 

 

what they held as know

 

ledge. 

 

here, the third property 

 

of _voice _

 

_heard,_

 

public access, is invoked, as the indebted scholar has this 

 

in all the wrong ways. 

 

the letters sent 

 

between 

 

lettered friends 

 

sharing poems were not open letters to the 

 

unlettered public, 

 

            but 

 

they received each other; 

 

the pro

 

genitors did not have platforms 

 

on which they could proliferate their poetry with

 

out boundaries, 

 

            but 

 

they could share with others who became pro

 

genitors and disciples; 

 

            and 

 

books were 

 

(are) 

 

expensive 

 

            and 

 

made 

 

            by 

 

            and 

 

            for 

 

other indebted scholars. 

 

yet, the poetry 

 

collections first read then learned 

 

by indebted scholars are rhymed 

 

and metered, 

 

and 

 

so 

 

they produce poetry 

 

collections that are rhymed 

 

and metered, 

 

which are first read and then learned 

 

by subsequent indebted scholars, who produce poetry 

 

collections based on having their 

 

know

 

ledge, writing their own canon into existence. 

 

the free verse 

 

poem is never read first, and then 

 

never read, because when it can be 

 

read, it is no longer a 

 

poem, 

 

but 

 

            degeneracy. 

 

if the indebted scholar studied 

 

— accruing debt by losing 

 

know

 

ledge, 

 

rather than by lending credit 

 

to those who then 

 

must lend credit — 

 

they would no longer be 

 

speaking 

 

and thus be 

 

able to hear the other voices. 

 

instead, those voices are written out 

 

            until 

 

they submit and 

 

accept credit.

 

 

the fourth property 

 

of \<i\>voice&nbsp;

 

heard, \</i\>

 

systematic restriction and promotion, over

 

laps with&nbsp;

 

all of the above.&nbsp;

 

the indebted scholar is an institution&nbsp;

 

that promotes its own self

 

-expression&nbsp;

 

of poetry&nbsp;

 

to survive;&nbsp;

 

&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; they decide&nbsp;

 

which contexts should be&nbsp;

 

expressed by poetry,&nbsp;

 

and&nbsp;

 

how;&nbsp;

 

&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; they decide&nbsp;

 

what is&nbsp;

 

and isn't&nbsp;

 

poetry;&nbsp;

 

and when their _voice&nbsp;_

 

_heard&nbsp;_

 

becomes threatened by the likes of free verse&nbsp;

 

poets, they consume&nbsp;

 

the free verse and reinterpret it as their own.&nbsp;

 

the free verse which wasn't&nbsp;

 

poetry&nbsp;

 

in accordance with their&nbsp;

 

calcified learnings&nbsp;

 

&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; (Harney and Moten 62)&nbsp;

 

becomes&nbsp;

 

poetry, subject&nbsp;

 

to the indebted scholar's approval.&nbsp;

 

whitman becomes the father of the free&nbsp;

 

verse&nbsp;

 

&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; (Reynolds 314),&nbsp;

 

even though there were others&nbsp;

 

writing free&nbsp;

 

&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; verse, be

 

cause in a domain of silence,&nbsp;

 

other voices could be&nbsp;

 

&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; heard&nbsp;

 

if the indebted scholar was not&nbsp;

 

speaking.&nbsp;

 

so, the indebted scholar calls for submission

 

s&nbsp;

 

of free verse&nbsp;

 

only,&nbsp;

 

publishes their free&nbsp;

 

verse anthology,&nbsp;

 

asks poets for free&nbsp;

 

verses to critique academically, lending a new type&nbsp;

 

of credit&nbsp;

 

in exchange for the halting of study.&nbsp;

 

&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; then,&nbsp;

 

&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; once again,&nbsp;

 

the indebted scholar is&nbsp;

 

the only _voice&nbsp;_

 

_heard&nbsp;_

 

in the Euro-American poetic canon, as their voice makes&nbsp;

 

&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; unheard&nbsp;

 

all others.

 

 

in summary, a definition of _voice&nbsp;_

 

_heard&nbsp;_

 

was given&nbsp;

 

for the context of this essay,&nbsp;

 

and used&nbsp;

 

as a medium to explore the way in which the arche

 

typical _voice&nbsp;_

 

_heard&nbsp;_

 

of the indebted scholar became the sole&nbsp;

 

_voice&nbsp;_

 

_heard&nbsp;_

 

of the Euro-American poetic canon,&nbsp;

 

&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; and&nbsp;

 

how that altered the nature&nbsp;

 

of free verse&nbsp;

 

poetry.&nbsp;

 

by examining a

 

long

 

side the indebted scholar:&nbsp;

 

&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; self-expression&nbsp;

 

versus reinterpretation;&nbsp;

 

&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; personal context&nbsp;

 

versus general context;&nbsp;

 

&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; public access&nbsp;

 

versus private access;&nbsp;

 

and&nbsp;

 

&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; systematic control&nbsp;

 

versus uncontrolled transmission,&nbsp;

 

three events were established:&nbsp;

 

the establishment of the indebted scholar

 

's _voice&nbsp;_

 

_heard&nbsp;_

 

and thus Euro-American poetic canon, where know

 

ledge&nbsp;

 

is credit lent to learn and lend credit;&nbsp;

 

free&nbsp;

 

verse as an act of study&nbsp;

 

in the domain of poetry, where&nbsp;

 

one empties one

 

self of the poetic canon so as to be able to study more;&nbsp;

 

&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; and&nbsp;

 

the assimilation of free&nbsp;

 

verse into the Euro-American poetic canon so as to become&nbsp;

 

the only _voice&nbsp;_

 

_heard&nbsp;_

 

on the subject of the free&nbsp;

 

verse,&nbsp;

 

and once again write out&nbsp;

 

other voices.

 

 
### bibliography
 

Dumit, Joseph. "Writing the implosion: Teaching the world one thing at a time." _Cultural Anthropology_&nbsp;29.2 (2014): 344-362.

 

Haraway, Donna. "Teddy bear patriarchy: Taxidermy in the garden of Eden, New York City, 1908-1936." _Social Text 11_&nbsp;(1984): 20-64.

 

Harney, Stefano and Fred Moten. 2013. EXCERPTS. _The Undercommons: Fugitive Planning and Black Study._&nbsp;62, 67-68, 124-127

 

Reynolds, David S. _Walt Whitman's America: A Cultural Biography._&nbsp;New York: Vintage Books, 1995. ISBN 0-679-76709-6

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