~DaShanne Stokes
I tried to find a selection of poems relating to the events of this week, but it's a bit early for impeachment poetry. Instead I found poems relating to Trump and the Statue of Liberty.
photo by Darshan Simha
Statue of Commodities
by Craig Santos Perez
Give me you roil, your labor,
Your fresh produce selling at wholesale fees,
The shiny products of your factory floor.
Send these, the cheap goods, gift-wrapped to me,
I raise my debt inside the global store!
**********
Liberty Enlightening the President
by Steph Burt
I give. I’m tired of your poor
Attempts at reason, your muddled hassles, your breath, your information-free
Refusals to learn, your tempests when tweeting. I’m sure
We can send you back home in less time than it took me
To raise my right hand. Take your gold. You can use the front door.
**********
Twelve Reasons A Woman Might Hold Up One Arm
by Jane Hirshfield
There are innumerable reasons a woman might hold up an arm.
One: to signal, here.
Two: to signal, stop.
Three: to beckon a boat or a taxi.
Four: because her other arm is occupied, holding an idea or an infant.
Five: to reach for some sweetening fruit from a tree.
Six: to cast light.
Seven: to shade her own eyes from what the light shows her.
Eight: because she is fixed in a previous era.
Nine: because she is waiting for a new era.
Ten: because she refuses to lower it.
Eleven: because the locked ladder inside it is learning one of the 40 languages that vanish each decade from earth in a silencings low-motion earthquake.
Twelve: to wave farewell to the words that are leaving, to wish them safe travels,
a home in some other woman’s new country, in some other woman’s new future
**********
Head Wound
by Patricia Smith
The lamp is still lifted. But the woman’s muscled
arm quivers, her neck bulges with strain, copper
teeth grind, raining green upon the man below
her. He blocks the golden door with the slop of his body.
She pulls in a real American breath and brings the lamp down.
**********
Some poems on McSweeney's made from Trump quotes.
Today's Little Ditty has the Poetry Friday round-up. Thanks, Michelle!
11 comments:
Some are ironically funny, but tragic as we read the feelings behind the lines. I listen to all the words, but have written one myself, not shared it till now, Tabatha. I didn't know others were writing. Silly me! Thanks for gathering these!
that fealty
wrongly given –
lost men
Whoa, Steph Burt's poem is a punch in the gut, and unfortunately real in these times.
I feel ashamed that so many US citizens in positions of political and corporate power seem to have no shame! As a country, we are better than this. Or at least I thought we were. Clearly, I'm not alone in this sentiment.
These are wonderful, just what we needed to hear this week. Hirshfield's poem was my favorite. Thank you!
Wow, some powerful stuff today, Tabatha!
These are all such powerful poems. I am so saddened by what is happening in our country these days. Thanks for sharing these stirring poetic responses to these tumultuous times.
I like your poem, Linda. Thanks for sharing it! The fealty that makes them so lost is completely baffling to me, but we'll probably understand that better over time.
Dear Lady Liberty's been under a sea of abuse these last few years. Thanks for these timely poems to go with our despicable times, Tabatha. I've written a few poems about Lady Liberty the last few years. Here's the first stanza of one wrote over the summer:
"AUBADE FOR FREEDOM
Darkness of which I’d never seen
greeted my morning…
That morning, when we lost our fair lady liberty
I felt the blood leave my body–
I was a vessel without a song–
Dread of what lie ahead filled my thoughts,
morning light wouldn’t
wash away this nightmare."
© 2019 Michelle Kogan
I don't think it's too early for impeachment poetry! However, it's messier than I thought it would be. I'm astounded every day at the people that are staking their own reputations on djt. It's crazy -- but there they are silent or in defense. That is one of the biggest tragedies for me.
Patricia Smith's poem speaks to me and my current mood. Ugh, what times we live in!
Oh, Tabatha, these are all so good.
HIrschfield's made me think, "Nevertheless, she persisted."
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