Jackpine Sonnets

‘If it looks like nothing on Earth - not even a Jackpine. It must be a Jackpine... or a Canadian.’

Milton Acorn, Canadian Poet. Image Source.

Jackpine Sonnets by Milton Acorn; a metaphor for humans in today’s society.

I came across the Canadian poet Milton Acorn in my final year of Art School, he wrote the book Jackpine Sonnets, within it he describes the rules that have been placed on writing sonnets, the self-imposed limitations. It struck me as a stark reflection of the limitations and rules we put on ourselves and our lives. The unquestioned expectations we have, of material possessions, careers, children and success.

‘A sonnet is a short poem with a dialectical play of argument. It was not always limited to fourteen lines. That just came to be accepted because, I’m certain, longer types, and likely shorter types too, became victims of the rigidity of the sonnet form.’

We are the poems and society is the sonnet. The rules of the sonnet mimic the rules and expectations of society, in some ways completely arbitrary ideals that just so happened to be picked over others.

‘I have named it after one of my favourite trees - the Jackpine, which can grow in any earth in which you plant it, so long as it’s not crowded: can be a puny but tough battle-scarred veteran clinging to an impossible cliffside, or a proud giant in a pasture. Unlike other conifers it grows at opportunity, having no set form. Thus with its solid-looking needle foliage, it makes all sorts of evocative shapes.’

I resonate with the ideals of the Jackpine. I feel at home in many environments, under one condition; they are not crowded. Citys and busy suburban areas leave me feeling disconnected and discombobulated. But take me to any quiet, natural place and things just make sense.

‘The Jackpine is resilient. It has a basic form, yes, but grows to any shape that suits the light, suits the winds, suits itself.’

We as humans have basic needs that must be met, but once those basics are covered we are free to explore and express ourselves in any manner of ways. The pursuit of fulfilment and the good life can look totally different for each one of us, (so for those city lovers out there, it’s all good, plenty of other trees dig company and busy forests).

‘If it looks like nothing on Earth - not even a Jackpine. It must be a Jackpine . . . or a Canadian.’

So I am going to continue to Be More Jackpine, and grow in a way that suits myself. Cheers, Milton Acorn.

From Jackpine Sonnets, published by Steel Rail Educational Publishing in 1977.

Sketchbook during Art School | Branding for YM

A permanent reminder to grow in a way that suits myself.