Abstract

Scope and method of study. Drawing from Martin Heidegger's and Donald Justice's discussions of the work of the poet, and from the poetry of Adrienne Rich, Charles Bukowski, and James Merrill, my critical introduction works to establish a relationship between poiesis and the four causes. Selections from Heidegger's "The Question Concerning Technology" and "The Origin of the Work of Art" guide a discussion of poetry's material, form, purpose and efficient causes. The poet accomplishes her purpose through recognizing historically established ways, and through transforming them. ;Findings and conclusions. The theoretical framework allows for a discussion of the ways in which my own creative work partakes in the co-responsible relationship between materials, form, and purpose. Close analysis of my own work demonstrates the ways in which my poems endeavor to break open the bounty of possibility for new moments of discovery. The poetry which follows the introduction is in five sections, organized around a series of poems entitled "Bounty Broken Open."