Reviewing Reinhard Döhl's "Apfel"

via Bob Grumman's po-X-cetera (certainly in response to this at dbqp):

There are a number of current visual poets who do not consider the above poem, one of the most popular visual poems of all-time, highly. So, to continue to be a Prime Annoyer in vispo circles, I've taken it upon myself to defend it. On the surface, it is merely a specimen of visual onomatopoeia, or poem whose text says what it looks like--or, if you prefer, poem whose graphic elements show what its text says. I think even those who don't think much of it would admit that it was clever and effective for its time. I think it may be more.