A mesostic is a
poem
Poetry (from the Greek language, Greek word ''poiesis'', "making") is a form of literature, literary art that uses aesthetics, aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language to evoke meaning (linguistics), meanings in addition to, or in ...
or other
text arranged so that a vertical phrase intersects lines of horizontal text. It is similar to an
acrostic
An acrostic is a poem or other word composition in which the ''first'' letter (or syllable, or word) of each new line (or paragraph, or other recurring feature in the text) spells out a word, message or the alphabet. The term comes from the Fre ...
, but with the vertical phrase intersecting somewhere in the midst of the line, as opposed to the beginning of each line.
The practice of using index words to select pieces from a preexisting text was developed by
Jackson Mac Low
Jackson Mac Low (September 12, 1922 – December 8, 2004) was an American poet, performance artist, composer and playwright, known to most readers of poetry as a practitioner of systematic chance operations and other non-intentional compos ...
as "diastics". It was used extensively by the experimental composer
John Cage
John Milton Cage Jr. (September 5, 1912 – August 12, 1992) was an American composer and music theorist. A pioneer of indeterminacy in music, electroacoustic music, and Extended technique, non-standard use of musical instruments, Cage was one ...
(Walsh 2001).
Types
There are two types of mesostic: fifty percent and one hundred percent. (See also the example below.)
* In a fifty-percent mesostic, according to Andrew Culver (John Cage's assistant), "Between any two
apitalizedletters, you can't have the second
etter Etter is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:
*Albert Etter (born 1872), American horticulturist
*Bill Etter (born 1950), American football quarterback
*Bob Etter (born 1945), American football placekicker, bridge player, and profess ...
"
* In a one-hundred-percent mesostic, "Between any two
apitalizedletters, you can't have either
etter Etter is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:
*Albert Etter (born 1872), American horticulturist
*Bill Etter (born 1950), American football quarterback
*Bob Etter (born 1945), American football placekicker, bridge player, and profess ...
"
[Cage 57.]
Below, an example of a one-hundred-percent mesostic:
KITCHEN
let us maKe
of thIs
modesT
plaCe
a room Holding
tons of lovE
(&, Naturally, much good food, too)
It qualifies as a one-hundred-percent mesostic because there is no ''k'' or ''i'' in the text between the capital ''K'' of line 1 and the capital ''I'' of line 2 –
let us maK
e
of thIs
– no ''i'' or ''t'' between the capital ''I'' and ''T'' –
of thI
s
modesT
– and so on.
See also
*
Acrostic
An acrostic is a poem or other word composition in which the ''first'' letter (or syllable, or word) of each new line (or paragraph, or other recurring feature in the text) spells out a word, message or the alphabet. The term comes from the Fre ...
*
Backronym
A backronym is an acronym formed from an already existing word by expanding its letters into the words of a phrase. Backronyms may be invented with either serious or humorous intent, or they may be a type of false etymology or folk etymology. The ...
*
Word square
A word square is a type of acrostic. It consists of a set of words written out in a square grid, such that the same words can be read both horizontally and vertically. The number of words, which is equal to the number of letters in each word, is k ...
Notes
References
*Cage, John. ''Musicage''. Ed.
Joan Retallack. Hanover & London:
Wesleyan University Press
Wesleyan University Press is a university press that is part of Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut. The press is currently directed by Suzanna Tamminen, a published poet and essayist.
History and overview
Founded (in its present form ...
, 1996.
*Walsh, Michael Sunday, Jun. 24, 2001
"Sounds of Silence" Time Magazine.
Graphic poetry
{{poetry-stub