Book Poem

Book binding is far from easy. Regardless, I made a book following Dean Young:

Shamanism 101

by Dean Young

Like everyone, I wanted my animal

to be the hawk.

I thought I wanted the strength

to eat the eyes first then tear

into the fuse box of the chest

and soar away.

I needed help because I still

cowered under the shadow of my father,

a man who inspected picture tubes

five out of seven nights,

who woke to breakfast on burnt roast

except the two weeks he’d sleep

on a Jersey beach and throw me

into the gasoline-sheened waves.

I loved him dying indebted

not knowing to what,

thinking his pension would be enough,

released not knowing from what,

gumming at something I was afraid

to get close enough to hear, afraid

of what I was co-signing. So maybe

the elephant. The elephant knows

when one of its own is suffering

up to six miles away. Charges across

the desert cognizant of the futility.

How can I be forgiven when I don’t know

what I need forgiving for? Sometimes

the urges are too extreme: to slap

on the brakes and scream, to bite the haunch

of some passing perfume, so maybe my animal

is the tiger. Or shark.

Or centipede.

But I know I’m smaller than that,

filling notebooks with clumsy versions

of one plaint, one pheromonal call,

clamoring over a crumb that I think

is the world, baffled by the splotch

of one of my own crushed kind,

almost sweet, a sort of tar,

following a trail of one or two molecules,

leaving a trail

of one or two molecules.


My images in the book reflect some of the visual imagery from the poem, such as the Jersey shore. The pages themselves also progressively get smaller and darker, reflective of how the character feels about himself. The cover is the image of a sad mask, that when opened, exposes the poem full of animal masks, that the character is trying to hide behind. Below are some images that are in the poem book.

Final Triptych

Really, my digital editing skills have increased tremendously since I first started the class, especially photoshop. I am still working on developing my illustrator skills, but luckily I asked for the program for christmas. Below is a description and concept of my triptych and the final visuals.

My triptych was an eclectic collection of imagery and ideas from my life. The three together contain the “four elements” being earth, air, fire, and water…each panel having at least one of the elements to balance a theme in my life.

The first panel, having air, represents the spiritual side of me, comprising of religious influences from both my mother and father, being Hinduism and Catholicism, respectively.

Another piece is grounded on earth, like my earthly pursuits, such as a career in medical illustration. This career entails involvement and understanding of the human body and nature.

The last piece is a collection of fantastical images and ideas surrounding my life. Having both water and fire, there area dualities and challenges to every aspect, but the trick is to approach life with as much whimsy and enthusiasm as possible.

I did have complications with the presentation of my piece, both in concept and execution. I was a little embarrassed to present the piece because I am used to looking more professional. Conceptually I had hoped to incorporate a presentation piece that incorporated the “four elements.” While I did find something that exemplified this, it was extremely expensive, and I think I lost creativity after seeing that one piece.