J.I. Kleinberg Archives - Aromatica Poetica

The image is a playful collage poem made from cut-out words and phrases arranged on a muted green background. Each scrap of text is torn from a different printed source, giving the composition a fragmented, tactile feel. The poem moves vertically down the page in a meandering path, beginning with the bold declaration “poetry was appetite” and ending with the surreal punchline “the moon was a meatball.” The piece mixes lofty themes—poetry, memoir, hard work, the moon—with earthy, humorous imagery of bread and meatballs, creating a whimsical tension between the profound and the absurd.

“poetry was appetite” and Other Visual Poems by J.I. Kleinberg

aromatica poetica October 1, 2025

Author’s note: “poetry was appetite” and the other four visual poems below are from an ongoing series of collages (2900+) built from phrases created through the happenstance of magazine page design. Each contiguous fragment of text (transcribed as a poetic line) is entirely removed from its original sense and syntax. The text is not altered (except for the occasional deletion of prefixes, suffixes, or punctuation) and includes no attributable phrases. The lines of each collage are, in most cases, sourced …

A collage of Kleinberg’s visual poems overlaid at various transparencies, each is a found poem assembled from torn fragments of magazine text on a green background: a rustic perfume, complex rain, sauce, the immediate aroma, THE TUBER'S AROMA.

“THE TUBER’S AROMA” & Other Visual Poems of Scent by J.I. Kleinberg

aromatica poetica July 12, 2022

—About the Poet/Artist— J.I. Kleinberg’s visual poems have been published in print and online journals worldwide and were featured in a solo exhibit at Peter Miller Books, Seattle, in May 2022. An artist, poet, freelance writer, and three-time Pushcart and Best of the Net nominee, she lives in Bellingham, Washington, USA, and on Instagram @jikleinberg. Read 5 more of her visual poems of scent HERE.

A collage of visual poems by J.I. Kleinberg scattered in various transparencies. Each collage poem is constructed of torn fragments of text displayed on a soft green background.

Five Visual Poems of Scent by J.I. Kleinberg

aromatica poetica April 15, 2020

These visual poems by J.I. Kleinberg are from an ongoing series of collages (2000+) built from phrases created unintentionally through the accident of magazine page design. Each contiguous fragment of text (transcribed as a poetic line) is entirely removed from its original sense and syntax. The text is not altered (except for the occasional deletion of prefixes, suffixes, or punctuation) and includes no attributable phrases. The lines of each collage are, in most cases, sourced from different magazines. —About J.I. …