Structural Lyricism: Poetry Without Metaphor

By J A Gucci

Structural Lyricism: Poetry Without Metaphor presents a sequence of poems composed as systems rather than expressions of narrative or theme. Each work begins from an observable condition and proceeds through alteration, threshold, or displacement, allowing meaning to emerge through arrangement instead of explanation.

Rejecting metaphor and interpretive framing, the collection emphasizes structure, compression, and variation across a sustained sequence. Individual poems function as discrete transformations, while the larger work accumulates through repetition, difference, and shifting density. Some movements are immediate; others are delayed or withheld, leaving only their effects visible.

The result is a body of work in which form carries the experience. No external framework is required. The poems present conditions and their alteration directly, inviting the reader to engage with structure as the primary source of meaning.

Positioned at the intersection of contemporary poetry and formal experimentation, Structural Lyricism offers a rigorous approach to composition that challenges conventional expectations of lyric expression while maintaining clarity, precision, and control.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1972788175
• ISBN13: 9781972788172
• Release Date: May 2026
• Publisher: Pressure System Press
• Length: 56 Pages
• Weight: 0.17 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.1" x 5.5" x 8.5"