Buffalo Rising Online

Apr 24th 2008, 9:28am By Anthony Swinnich

Poetry and science don't usually mix, but don't tell Christopher Fritton that. His latest work, My Fingernails Are Fresnel Lenses, is a thoughtful poem about the make-up of memories and how they work through our system.

“Most of my work comes from a scientific point of view. So often I take inspiration from recent scientific developments and stuff like that,” Fritton said. “I think that one key thing is that the things that I imply usually sound like metaphors or analogies, but when you look into it they're not. When I'm talking about your fingernails being lenses it sounds like this fantastic metaphor, but then when you actually look into the science of it, it isn't at all. It's what's really going on.”

The words in Fingernails have true weight to them, especially as the poem reaches its end. At first Frtiton explains how memories escape the system, but toward the middle of the piece he begins to describe meaningful examples he can no longer recall. When he says “I have forgotten the first thing I said to you,” it's easy to identify with the piece; it's unrealistic to remember the first thing we say to each person we meet, but it seems like an important detail when it's gone. The way Fritton describes the process of forgetting makes it seem a permanent loss, each toll heavier as the poem continues.

The book is well laid out. Each of the 9 pages holds a stanza so the pacing is spot on. “Each of my books is its own individual project. Each book is its own little story – usually just a single poem broken up into pieces. The way the book looks and feels is really an integral part of it. For this one I wanted it to have a sort of older, elegant feel, like an old pocket-sized scientific pamphlet. It just seemed like the right size and the right color and everything to convey that.”

The feel Fritton was going for was achieved in part because the books weren't sent off somewhere and put together by a machine, but by the author himself through Sunny Outside Press. This helps the entire piece feel more personal. “We did the entire thing on a letter press. It was all hand set and hand bound. It took about a day to write it. To have 250 copies done, it took about three and a half weeks. I probably put out a handmade book or two a year since 1997 or 98, so maybe close to 20. I do have back copies of certain books, but some of them were made in really limited editions, like 10 or 20, and those have been gone for a while.”

Those interested in buying Fritton's early work can contact him at chris.fritton@gmail.com. My Fingernails Are Fresnel Lenses can be purchased for $10 at http://www.sunnyoutside.com/cat.html