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A blackout poetry studio
Find the poem that was waiting in the page.
One page, carefully chosen
Moby Dick; Or, The Whale
Ishmael introduces himself, then lets a dark turn of mind carry the sentence from an empty purse and damp streets toward the sea. Herman Melville’s famous opening is restless and physical: weather enters the soul, funeral processions cross the road, and water becomes a way to change one’s circulation. Humour, melancholy and escape move together rather than forming a single mood. The repetitions offer many places to step into or out of the current. Keep the words that shift your own weather. Your poem can stay ashore, set sail, or find another movement entirely, with Ishmael’s voice and Melville’s source still surrounding what remains.
Begin with
Moby Dick; Or, The Whale
Chapter 1, Loomings · Project Gutenberg English transcription
Melville’s 1851 novel opens with Ishmael explaining why a dark turn of mind sends him toward the sea.
Read Moby-Dick at Project GutenbergHow to choose words
Keep the words that speak. Your poem will always follow their order on the page. With a keyboard, use the arrow keys to move through words.