Because memory is a fickle thing, I’m a bit uncertain about the five Ws of journalism here. Fortunately, I’mnot under oath. But if I had to guess, I was in Elementary school (perhaps 3rd grade?) when I found it. Whilewalking home after school one day, I noticed some litter mingled with withered weeds along the sidewalk. Most of the trash was standard faire – broken bottles, plastic bags, candy wrappers; however, upon scanningthe hillside, I spotted it, a strange-looking can lying in a bed of shattered glass.

The first thing I noticed about this can was the cursive lettering (in a language that wasn’t English) on itsside. Whatever this mystery beverage was (I realized later that it was barley tea), it wasn’t made in theUnited States. I was instantly captivated by the visual beauty of this foreign language (which turned out to beJapanese); it reminded me of my mother’s calligraphy. But beyond that, what fascinated me about this canwas the artfulness of its design. Even as a kid, I had an aesthetic appreciation for the arts. Although I wasunformed, I still had some innate feeling for things like beauty, rhythm, and color theory. And this can of teamoved me.

The entire design of the label has continued to intrigue to me throughout the years. Firstly, the layout isbased upon the rule of thirds. In visual arts, the rule of thirds is a basic composition principle in which animage is divided into thirds (both horizontally and vertically) so that you have 9 parts. The idea is to placeyour subject of interest on one of the center intersecting points. In the case of the can, the top two thirds arecolored a cool gray while the bottom third is a mellow white. The proportion are classically symmetrical. Secondly, the colors of the bottom character (which I believe describe the name of the tea) are dynamic. I’venever seen a similar pastel palette used for any American products. The bottom character is a combination ofthree colors: tangerine orange on one side, topaz blue in the center, and turquoise green on the other side. These fresh pastel colors are juxtaposed with the stark black used for the rest of the lettering which is setagainst the gray and white base of the can’s body. It’s a fresh and clean aesthetic.

So no matter where I’ve lived throughout the years, I’ve found room for this can of barley tea on a bookshelf,mantel, or window sill. There’s just something about this can’s combination of classical symmetry andpeculiar color composition that is wholly unique. I’d like to think that this can’s design has even inspired myown creative projects. If so, there may be traces of its aesthetic in my photography, music, and writing. Regardless, I strive for a similar ideal: mixing a discreet minimalism with lively, surprising elaborations. Whether lived on or off the page, life — like art — can be beautiful if you allow it to be. I have a can ofbarley tea to thank for that.

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About Progressive Poetics

The Progressive Poetics project asks each contributor to respond, in light of something she or he has alreadysaid in print, to this question:

“Poetry makes nothing happen.” (W. H. Auden, 1939)

“To write poetry after Auschwitz is barbaric.” (Theodor Adorno, 1949)

Though often cited as timeless, authoritative truths about poetry, those two pronouncements were made atparticular historical moments, in particular cultural contexts, and from particular subject positions. But we(choose any “we” from those of us alive now) occupy various subject positions, live in variouscircumstances, and stand nearer the mid-twenty-first century than the mid-twentieth. It is not self-evident thatwe should (continue to) defer to Auden and Adorno, so:

What must or might be said now about poetry?

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