Vegetation

TCI is fond of poet Francis Ponge. Called the “poet of things,” Ponge often centers his poems around mundane everyday objects, thereby defining them in his own terms. Ponge believes language is humans’ only way of ordering the world and turning the insignificant into the significant. He goes on to describe the artist’s function as “quite clear,” saying all artists “must open workshops and take in the world for repair, as it comes them, in pieces.” We are particularly fond of his poem about a snail, which we featured on a weekend piece.

In this slim volume called Vegetation, Ponge defines the carnation, the asparagus, and the magnolia, among others.