Poetic Essay

A poetic essay is a poem based on the facts of a particular event written in communicative language that is easy to understand. A poetic essay is different from the more common lyrical poem, which is written from the imagination and often uses symbolic language and hard to understand metaphors. Although it is taken from factual events, a poetic essay is still a work of fiction. The details of the events simply act as a background to the story the poet wishes to tell.
If, in lyrical poetry, events like the sunset or rain are depicted as purely poetical occurrences, poetic essays take as their theme events with a social dimension in time and space. To really understand the social dimension of an event, a poetic essayist will conduct intensive. He or she needs references to reinforce facts, present data and clarify problems. This means that poetic essays need footnotes to emphasize that the subject is a concrete human story taken from a real social situation or a historical event, rather than imaginary, foreign and abstract, as lyrical poetry often is.
A New Way of Writing Poetry
Lyrical poetry is the mainstream form of the art, and the popular paradigm for poets. ) In the history of the development of Indonesian poetry, lyricism has dominated every creative space and has been poets’ creative influence. That being said, many poets have tried to break free of these constraints and create their own grammar outside lyricism. )
The poetic essay is another form outside lyricism. It takes a different form because it is more like a short story written in the form of poetry. Its message is very clear, as is its setting and context. It uses language that is easy to understand, which is what sets it apart from lyrical poetry.
Lyrical poets depict the beauty of nature in beautiful language, expressing feelings through symbols and metaphors, and it is not unusual for them to need to create their own idioms outside conventional language. Reading poetry almost always means finding the implicit message which the poet has secreted in symbolic language and sublime revelations. As a result, it is not always accessible to the general reader, and only poets can participate.
The reverse is true of ancient poetry. Ancient poetic forms such as rhymes, verses and couplets can be actively enjoyed, understood and created by anyone who’s interested. The man in the street is very familiar with older forms of poetry, and each generation in turn has taken on the responsibility of maintaining and passing them down. Unfortunately the age of mainstream poetry is passing, and almost none still has a place in modern society.
Elitism in lyrical poetry has distance the general public from the once popular literary forms. This is true not only of Indonesia but all over the world, and it is causing concern among literature lovers. In 2006 Poetry Foundation leader John Barr, for example, said in his essay American Poetry in the New Century published in Poetry, A Magazine of Verse that poetry was becoming increasingly difficult for the public to understand. Poetry writing has stagnated, and there have been no significant changes in the form for decades. The general public is becoming increasingly distanced from the world of poetry.
John Barr asserted that good poets have rich imaginations or simply respond to other poets. They are becoming removed from and unresponsive to general issues. Barr yearns for the poetry and literature of the great age of Shakespeare, when poetry was discussed and appreciated by the public, and reflected the broader social developments. In those days, poetry captured the personality and issues of the time.
Poetic essays have revived this. They are written in straightforward language that the public can read easily without feeling that it is alien, limited only to other poets. Traditionally, poetry has its own logic, its message conveyed in abstract language. That is why poetic essays with easy-to-understand language have appeared as a new way of writing poetry and a new movement in public opinion, returning the owndership of language to community.
Pioneers
In March 2012 a book of poetry called Atas Nama Cinta (In the Name of Love) was published by Denny JA, a social scientist and columnist who has published dozens of books, and widely known as a political consultant. The sub-title of the book is Sebuah Puisi Esai (A Poetic Essay), and this is followed on the cover by the description Isu Diskriminasi dalam Untaian Kisah Cinta yang Menggetarkan Hati (Touching Love Stories on Issues of Discrimination and Religion). The book was published with the support of two top Indonesian poets, Sapardi Djoko Damono and Sutardji Calzoum Bachri, and senior artist Ignas Kleden, all of whom contributed to the book’s epilog. The three have welcomed this new style of poetry writing - or experiments - by Denny JA, who has broken free from the constraints of lyrical poetry.
The five essays in the book are all on the theme of love entangled in critical complex social issues. They cover religious differences (Bunga Kering Perpisahan/The Dried Flower of Farewell), racial issues (Sapu Tangan Fang Yin/Fang Yin’s Handkerchief), sexual orientation (Cinta Terlarang Bantam dan Robin/The Forbidden Love of Batman and Robin), gender violence (Minah Tetap Dipancung/Minah is Beheaded), and conflicting religious sects (Romi dan Yuli dari Cikeusik/Romi and Yuli from Cikeusik). These moral messages are neatly packaged in poetic language, and all five are bound by a single critical issue: discrimination.
Atas Nama Cinta is Denny JA’s first attempt at departing from the paradigm of lyricism and putting his mark on a new poetic tradition in Indonesia. Sapu Tangan Fang Yin was read for the first time at the Indonesian Literary Community Congress in Puncak, West Java in March 2012. At the event, which was attended by around 150 writers from around Indonesia, the poetic essay was socialized for the first time through an invitation to review and criticize the book, and a poetic essay-writing competition.
Transformation
As well as the printed version, Denny JA’s book has also been published in a mobile web version which can be accessed on smart phones and through Twitter accounts. The book is considered by some to be a milestone which brings literature into the social media era. In just one month the Website received over one million hits. This is a first in the history of poetry, literature and books in general. Many of the people who visited the Website also left their comments - see www.puisi-esai.com (Indonesian version).
By January 7, 2013, less than ten months after its launch, www.puisi-esai.com had received an astounding 7,502,891 visitors, demonstrating emphatically that the public are being won back to poetry. The general public have read and responded quickly and on mass. Presumably they would respond the same way to any poetry provided that it was presented in simple language; provided that it covered themes that speak to their own anxieties; provided that the poetry was easy to access via popular social media: Twitter, smartphones and the Internet.
Denny JA’s work has also been translated into films co-produced by celebrated artist Hanung Bramantyo. Other major Indonesian names were also involved:
* Sapu Tangan Fang Yin directed by Karin Bintaro, and starring Leoni Vitria, Hartanti Reza Nangin, and Verdi Solaiman.
* Romi dan Yuli dari Cikeusik directed by Indra Kobutz and starring Zascia Adya Mecca, Ben Kasyafani, and Agus Kuncoro.
* Minah Tetap Dipancung directed by Indra Kobutz and starring Vitta Mariana, Saleh Ali, and Peggy Melati Sukma.
* Cinta Terlarang Batman dan Robin released under the title Cinta Yang Dirahasiakan directed by Rahabi MA and starring Rizal Syahdan, Zack Nasution, and Tio Pakusadewo.
* Bunga Kering Perpisahan directed by Emil Heradi and starring Rawa Nawangish, Arthur Brotolaras, and Teuku Rifku Wikana.
Atas Nama Cinta has also been released as a video clip of a poetry reading by literary and cultural icons Putu Wijaya, Sutardji Calzoum Bachri, Niniek L. Karim, Sudjiwo Tedjo, and Fatin Hamama.
The themes of Denny JA’s poetic essays which have been filmed and made into video clips have also been used as simulations at meetings of victims of the May 1998 riots, at an event commemorating the Indonesian state philosophy Pancasila (http://en. .org/wiki/Pancasila_(politics) at Taman Ismail Marzuki, and at Labor Day commemorations of the death of Ruyati, an Indonedia maids who was beheaded in Saudi Arabia. See more details at the official Website www.puisi-esai.com.
As Denny JA says in the introduction to his book, as a writer he searched for a new form that could handle the public’s anxiety and social commitment in a digestible form. He was looking for a new written medium which could touch the human heart, and at the same time give the reader an understanding of social issues, if only a small slice. Essays, academic papers and columns clearly cannot explore the human mind, while existing poetic forms are difficult to understand and fail to touch the heart, so he developed his own medium and named it the poetic essay: poetry which feels like an essay, or an essay in poetic form.
Denny JA’s poetic essays quickly evolved into many different forms. As well as short films and a poetry reading video clip, the works have been expressed in theatrical performances, paintings, photographs, songs, and even a social movement. ) The poetic essay truly has its finger on the pulse of the community. It has gained enormous public and media attention because it is so close to being a social movement in itself. )
Five Criteria
What is a poetic essay and what is not? Pioneer Denny JA created five criteria: )
First, poetic essays explore the mentality of individuals caught up in social conflict. If Budi falls in love with Ani, that is not enough to become a poetic essay. Better: Budi falls in love with Ani, but they follow different religions or are from different castes or social classes, which causes problems among their communities.
Second, poetic essays are written in easy-to-follow language. They still use linguistic tools such as metaphors and analogies, but the reader must be able to pick up the message quickly.
Third, poetic essays are works of fiction. They may portray real historical characters, but that reality is enriched by fictional characters and dramatisation. What they must have is reflection and moral content delivered through a story, not just an accurate historical portrait. Because it is fictional, the author is free to create a touching dramatization which makes us reflect on the situation.
Fourth, poetic essays are not simply creations of the poet’s imagination but the result of research into social reality. They respond to a community’s most pressing social issues, whatever they are. Footnotes are central to poetic essays because they indicate that this piece of fiction has a basis in social fact. From the beginning the social essay indeed combined fact and fiction, with the factual element supported by footnotes.
Fifth, poetic essays are long and divided into chapters. They are basically short dramatic stories written in poetic form, and should reflect the dynamic character of the main player or a change in social reality.
According to Denny JA, these five criteria are not set in stone but merely guidelines. When a movement and genre is packaged, there is an inevitable line separating “what is” from “what is not”. These five criteria merely define “what is.”
In Denny JA’s view a poetic essay is merely a variation on existing poetic forms, and does not claim to be superior or inferior, neither is it meant to dominate or homogenize. It is simply a rose in the flower-filled paradise of other literary forms. It is just a deer among other wildlife. It is the orange in a rainbow rich with other colors.
Other Poetic Essays
A number of other anthologies of poetic essays followed the publication of Denny JA’s Atas Nama Cinta:
* Kutunggu Kamu Di Cisadane (Publisher: Komodo Books, 2012) by Ahmad Gaus. Foreword: Jamal D. Rahman.
* Manusia Gerobak (Publisher: Jurnal Sajak, 2013) karya Elza Peldi Taher. Foreword: D. Zawawi Imron
* Mata Luka Sengkon-Karta (Publisher: Jurnal Sajak, 2013). This anthology contains winning entries in the 2012 poetic essay writing contest by Peri Sandi Huizchedengan, Beni Setia, and Saifur Rohman. Poet Agus R. Sarjono edited the book and wrote the foreword.
* Dari Rangin ke Telpon (Publisher: Jurnal Sajak, 2013). This anthology contains winning entries in the 2012 poetic essay writing contest by Katherine Ahmad, Kedung Darma Romansha, Rahmad Agus Supartono, Wendoko, and Yustinus Sapto Hardjanto. Poet Acep Zamzam Noor edited the book and wrote the foreword.
* Dari Singkawang ke Sampit (Publisher: Jurnal Sajak, 2013). This anthology contains winning entries in the 2012 poetic essay writing contest by Arief Setiawan, Arif Fitra Kurniawan, Catur Adi Wicaksono, Hanna Fransisca, and Jenar Aribowo. Poet Jamal D. Rahman edited the book and wrote the foreword.
* Mawar Airmata (Publisher: Jurnal Sajak, 2013). This anthology contains entries in the “interesting” category of the 2012 poetic essay writing contest by Nur Faini, Onik Sam Nurmalaya, Sahasra Sahasika, Syifa Amori, Stefanus P Elu, Yudith Rosida. Antologi ini diberi kata pengantar oleh Sunu Wasono. Poet Jamal D. Rahman edited the book.
* Penari Cinta Anak Koruptor (Publisher: Jurnal Sajak, 2013). This anthology contains entries in the “interesting” category of the 2012 poetic essay writing contest by Alex R. Nainggolan, Baiq Ratna Mulyaningsih, Carolina Betty Tobing, Chairunnisa, Damhuri Muhammad, and Huzer Apriansyah. Poet Nenden Lilis A. wrote the foreword. Poet Jamal D. Rahman edited the book.
* Puisi Esai: Kemungkinan Baru Puisi Indonesia (Publisher: Jurnal Sajak, 2013). This book is a potpourri of writings about poetic essays. Poet Acep Zamzam Noor edited the book and wrote the foreword.
Each edition of Jurnal Sajak, published every three months by a group of poets, contains poetic essays and discussions about them. In January 2013, Dapoer Seni Djogjakarta staged a production of Sapu Tangan Fang Yin based on Denny JA’s poetic essay.

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