Touching Poem about ASL

[shel90]

Scott Hamm: To All ASL Nayers, Do ASL Fade Away? A Poem.

ASL, The Deaf's Poetic License

Is ASL fading away?
In your dream do you hope and you pray,
Ne'er will it fade away, O! Not ever!
No matter how hard you try to sever,
It's like trying to undo "poetic license", a Deaf poet's core,
Breaking grammar that turns into decor,
For ASL is our "poetic license" that's an art,
A language into our culture, our souls, doth it impart!
Will art of literacy fade away, or do it ever?
No, no, always in Deaf's artistc world will it endeavor,
Amongst Deaf cultures, their artistic language, their pride!
In eternity amongst us will ASL abide,
For ASL stands forever in your utter dismay,
O! ASL! Our ASL! Our Deaf "poetic license", will never fade away!

-Scott Hamm

 

[Kaitin]

Hi, Shel:

I admit I know nothing about poetry, so I hope you can translate/summarize the poem's meaning? I don't understand lines like "Breaking grammar that turns into decor" or "For ASL stands forever in your utter dismay," - these seem negative but I know I must misunderstand because you like the poem.

Sorry to seem so ignorant and I know the poem must mean a lot to you to be "touching" so I hope you explain.

 

[shel90]

Hi, Shel:

I admit I know nothing about poetry, so I hope you can translate/summarize the poem's meaning? I don't understand lines like "Breaking grammar that turns into decor" or "For ASL stands forever in your utter dismay," - these seem negative but I know I must misunderstand because you like the poem.

Sorry to seem so ignorant and I know the poem must mean a lot to you to be "touching" so I hope you explain.

One of my friends sent me this. The guy is her friend...she told me that he talks about how he felt when people disgregard ASL or blame ASL for poor literacy skills in deaf children. Something about the oralists threatening to eliminating ASL and how ASL will always stand strong regardless.

 

[Angel]

Nice but a bit hard to understand it through..

 

[jillio]

I enjoyed this poem. Thanks, shel. And, if I may, I would interpret the two lines that Kaitlin asked about as ASL breaking from standard English grammar and being "decorative" in a visual way the same way that a painting or a dance is decorative. Then the other about "utter dismay" I interpreted as being the dismay of the hearing oralists who have tried for centuries to remove ASL from the deaf population.

 

[LinuxGold]

Jillio, you defined it very well! BTW, I wrote that poetry, I am Scott Hamm, check LinuxGold's Blogspot and check the profile out.

Let me define a little further:

"Breaking grammar that turns into decor"

Means that you can bend grammar rules that makes "sense" in poetic point of view. For example,

Jabberwocky poem got a lot of words that doesn't exist in dictionary.

One quote from Jabberwocky:

`Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.

You can find a list of word meaning here:
Jabberwocky - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

What this poem use is called "Portmanteau" which is quoted here:

"A portmanteau is a word or morpheme that fuses two or more words or word parts to give a combined or loaded meaning."

For ASL stands forever in your utter dismay - is something that ASL "nayers" couldn't break -- it is a rebuttal to people who are "nayers", AGAINST ASL. They think that ASL will fade away, but to their utter dismay, (deep disappointment) that ASL will never fade away!

Since hearing people used poetic license at ALL of the times to make great poetry, therefore, ASL is exactly the SAME way! Who are they to criticize?

 

[jillio]

Jillio, you defined it very well! BTW, I wrote that poetry, I am Scott Hamm, check LinuxGold's Blogspot and check the profile out.

Let me define a little further:

"Breaking grammar that turns into decor"

Means that you can bend grammar rules that makes "sense" in poetic point of view. For example,

Jabberwocky poem got a lot of words that doesn't exist in dictionary.

One quote from Jabberwocky:

`Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.

You can find a list of word meaning here:
Jabberwocky - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

What this poem use is called "Portmanteau" which is quoted here:

"A portmanteau is a word or morpheme that fuses two or more words or word parts to give a combined or loaded meaning."

For ASL stands forever in your utter dismay - is something that ASL "nayers" couldn't break -- it is a rebuttal to people who are "nayers", AGAINST ASL. They think that ASL will fade away, but to their utter dismay, (deep disappointment) that ASL will never fade away!

Since hearing people used poetic license at ALL of the times to make great poetry, therefore, ASL is exactly the SAME way! Who are they to criticize?

Thank you, LinuxGold! I thoroughly enjoyed your poetry.

 

[deafskeptic]

I enjoyed this poem. Thanks, shel. And, if I may, I would interpret the two lines that Kaitlin asked about as ASL breaking from standard English grammar and being "decorative" in a visual way the same way that a painting or a dance is decorative. Then the other about "utter dismay" I interpreted as being the dismay of the hearing oralists who have tried for centuries to remove ASL from the deaf population.

That's how I interpreted it as well.