In the Vineyard of the Mind: Aphorisms Aphorisms-Recomposed, Experimental Compositions and Essays on Language

Author's Preface vineyard ['vin-yard] "n. 1: A planting of grapevines. 2: an area or category of physical or mental occupation" Webster's Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary I began writing aphorisms in my notebooks many years ago and used them mainly in my poems. It was some years later that I began to feel strongly enough about them to create a free-standing book of them. Many poets (Shakespeare, Dickenson, Emerson, Frost, Yeats, Eliot, Stevens and Rumi come to mind) use epigrammatic phrases in their poetry or essays and much of this material has been antholo¬gized in books of collected aphorisms. The phraseology is often that of the pun or double entendre of the French. They should be short, rather like haiku, though that is a strict genre indeed and isn't necessarily aphoristic. I don't feel all of the ones I've included are neces-sarily "true"; they are true for me in context, or contain a kind of truth, hide or partially reveal a truth. I strongly feel aphorisms should work the mind as they are read, as certainly all poetry should, but these are more like exercises for thought, exercises in turns of phrase. I want them to be remembered by readers, that is the key: if one isn't startled by moments of sudden recognition, if no one finds any sort of originality in juxtaposition or sequence, I shall be more than a little disappointed. But if someone puts even a single one into his discourse, quotes one in his writing, uses one in teaching a course, I will count the book a success.