Wednesday, January 20, 2021

Poetry day 4 & 5


Today, I am posting my last two poems of the January 5-day Open Write with Dr. Sarah J. Donovan's Ethical ELA. 

I'll share today's poem first, Day 5. We were inspired to take a Martin Luther King, Jr. quote and create a poem. I was truly challenged by this (and not at all content with the outcome!), because I have been so caught up in today's Inauguration of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. What an extraordinarily hopeful and healing day this has been! 



Truly dark


Martin told us
it has to get
truly dark
to see the stars 

truly dark

our precious ideals
liberty and justice
for all
has never been so
for everyone

truly dark

deep in our history
white and pervasive silence
years of looking the other way
not paying attention
inaudible allies

truly dark

these past four years
relentless
instigation of fear
spewing of hate
primacy of self

truly dark

this year of acute pain
systemic racism
disease and death
economic collapse
sending us deep into

truly dark

January 6, 2021

truly dark
truly dark
truly dark

here I sit
trying to write a poem
while overcome by tears
blessed relief
today's inaugural words
of healing unity

Martin told us
it has to get
truly dark
to see the stars 

This is a starry night



--
Day 4's Poem

For this poem, Stacey L. Joy challenges us to take a "mindful walk," and focus on one thing that you see; write a poem about this. She suggested using the "Zappai" form (which is new to me!), which has a syllable pattern like haiku - 5, 7, 5 - but has many stanzas. I chose to write about something I see whenever I visit a local park - this tree that seems to have grown into a boulder, with its roots wrapped about the rock.

Intertwined

some time long ago
a tree began to grow next
to a large boulder

or perhaps the truth
is the boulder rolled up next
to the tree and stopped

some time long ago
they grew together, truly
tree and boulder one

forever as one
imagine this, wonder, and ask
did they choose this life?

this life of such fixed
perspective, never knowing
anything else but here

so different, yet
so inseparable now
who listens to whom?

what do they speak of
when the sun goes down and they
are truly alone

do they share gossip 
of the day, the laughs and tears
of walkers and more?

maybe they grieve and
heal together, and become
wiser over time



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