“…in the language of poetry, where every word is weighed, nothing is usual or normal. Not a single stone and not a single cloud above it. Not a single day and not a single night after it. And above all, not a single existence, not anyone’s existence in this world.” – Wislawa Szymborska

The language of poetry astonishes and baffles us. It takes us places we’ve been and to landscapes we could have never imagined. Poetry puts the status quo on notice and challenges authority with fierce linguistic twists. And, in many ways, poetry transcends the normal logic of our every day existence—even in the surreal neon landscape of Miami.

“Mapping: Space + Time,” a group exhibition at the Art Center/South Florida, a Knight Arts grantee, on Lincoln Road, mesmerized patrons as they stood in line to help create a poem. Yes, they stood in line to create a poem. Carrie Sieh, one of the group exhibitors, painted two giant interconnected neurons on one of the gallery’s white walls.

As the patrons approached the neurons, Sieh asked them to participate by developing the 4 by 6-inch sheets of paper which she had prepared with invisible ink. Using either a blue iron or a purplish developing solution, we ironed and brushed the invisible images to life and then wrote down what came to mind when the images appeared. They looked like Rorschach inkblots.

The last act: Sieh thumb-tacked them to the neuron and mapped the poem in front of us. Note: “Mapping: Space + Time” runs through April 1 and will conclude with a public poetry reading.

Another unconventional poetry event, which everyone should put on their calendars, takes place on Saturday, March 17 at 9 p.m. at Next@19th. That’s when the historic Temple Israel is turned into a poetry CHAIku, a refuge for poets and the spoken word.

The March 17 event features Jill Slaughter. Her work is described as raw and candid. It often reveals the ugly truth of personal triumphs and tragedy, which are never ever tidy. Hysterical, dark, Slaughter’s poetry is anything but usual or normal. However, it connects with the audience and never pushes away. What else would you expect from a writer whose website is www.rawcandor.com.

CHAIku Poetry at Next@19th, Saturday, March 17, 2012 at 9 p.m. Located at 137 N.E. 19 St., Miami, Fla. 33132, on the campus of Temple Israel’s historic site in downtown Miami. For more information, please call 305.542.7732 or visit the website at www.nextat19th.org. “Mapping: Space + Time” runs through April 1, 2012 at the Art Center/South Flroida, located at 800 Lincoln Road, Miami Beach, Fla. 33139.