Section I: "The Ballad of Sand and Harry Soot" by Stephanie Strickland
The Ballad of Sand and Harry Soot by Stephanie Strickland seems to be a rumination on many things. Among them, the obvious: love, relationships, relationality, beauty, and then the more opaque: music, shapes, cycles, environments, myth, and virus. In some moments, the characters seem to be the materials they are named after. In others, they are characters from Greek myth, elemental properties or sound waves. And in still others, they are the voice of the artist or the critic, prompting us to see and then critique our own associations.
I’m particularly interested in their difference and the tension it creates in the poem. Sure there is the cliché about opposites attracting, but Strickland’s work advances that notion to include difference at the level of element, of code, of genre, and of history. I love how she describes Sand as having a “wardrobe made up of twirlies,” but also as a dragon. Or a “dragon mediation.” Strickland associates her with “portraits of dead children” and “horns”, but also with instruments, whimsy, daffodils, and doves. Where she is dynamic and mysterious, Soot is a constant. In love but a little bit harsh and unyielding; handsome but also “that kind of guy.” Violent, detective-like, and intense, Soot provides a stolid counterpoint to his evolving and evocative partner. In a great moment from the poem, Sand is described as infinitely flexible and therefore deceitful. And Soot screams, “Siren! Circe!” It’s not clear if this is a complement, a criticism, or an observation.
I wonder what we think the role and dynamics of gender in this piece are? The characters are coded male and female, but what are we meant to do with that in light of the poem?
I also wonder what we might say about the images and how/what they contribute to the piece?
Finally, I’m interested in what effect having the navigation bar at the bottom of the piece might have on our experience of it? Does the ability to click a link at the bottom, rather than moving organically through it, change viewer interaction? And to what result?
And an introduction to the piece, written by Heather McHugh.
