Myriad Emotions of Video Poetry

There are so many different emotions that are summoned to me when I watch videos of poetry. It’s amazing all the different possible interpretations. In the Simpsons adaptation of “The Raven” I find myself laughing at the sardonic, mocking tone, yet when read by Christopher Lee I find myself shivering because, man, that crap is creepy! So much more than words goes into a performance of video poetry. Depending on how it’s read, what is playing on the screen, and if there is music/what the music is like, any poem can be beautiful or haunting, dazzling or just plain boring. My favorite rendering of video poetry so far is Shakespeare’s Sonnet 18 (Shall I Compare Thee to a Summers Day?) sung by David Gilmore. It is a phenomenal rendering that allows one to get lost in the true meaning of the poem, with the music and Gilmore’s voice complimenting the somewhat magical nature of the poem, allowing us to truely FEEL more easily what the poem is trying to tell us. The scenery helps also, showing us a beautiful summer’s day on a lakeshore, helping us to not only see how a summer’s day looks, but also understand truly how beautiful the woman of the poem is.