Posts
Goodbye February.
Thanks for the memories...let's work on solving angst-ridden world problems that keep us up at night, eh?
Thank goodness for poetry that covers all. Tabatha at The Opposite of Indifference hosts our poetry round-up this week.
It was a Poetry Friday post of Tabatha's in January that generated this comment from me:
The very next day, I saw this photograph online in the New York Times.
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| New York Times 1/24/23 |
It calls for poetry, don't you think?
As I write this post, it is one year of an aggressive war on Ukraine by Russia. I've wondered about people like me living in the 1930s...when did they know their entire world was at war? Surely, they weren't calling World War II, "World War Two," until well into it.
It feels like my world is at war--or at least on the brink. How will humans remember this time eighty years from now?
I need poetry to help me put it into words.
In the Snow, a golden shovel
by Linda Mitchell 2/24/23
I didn't think I had a poem for the padlet today...and then, I woke up with an idea and have a very drafty draft. That's OK. I'll go back and fiddle with it later. The word is war.
"...wreaths of poetry. Flowers in sonnets that rhyme..." This is so spectacular. Yes, it is so true that we need poetry to help us make sense of the problems. Peace to you. Your mirror poem is on the way.
ReplyDeleteYour golden shovel digs to the core of this photo, Linda. May we all be "citizens of a certain character". Thank goodness for poetry or we'd REALLY be lost.
ReplyDeleteThanks for always bearing witness, Linda. "Citizens of a certain character" has so much nuance in your poem and "Flowers/ in sonnets that rhyme at/ all the right places" is inspired.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite line is "flowers in sonnets that rhyme." A wonderful golden shovel! I wonder what story history will tell about war, about Covid. We've already watched 9/11 become history and Katrina...what stories will live on?
ReplyDeleteThe line about those in Moscow, too, scared to criticize but also mourning their losses is a kind thought, Linda. We are all affected, whether physically or mentally, shown by your poignant poem.
ReplyDeleteWar has such a harsh sound in these troubled times but it is reality as your poem and padlet poem note. Poetry rises above the clamor and chaos. Thank you for your poem based on world news, Linda.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed your prompt and keep coming back to the idea of bearing witness. It seems both so hard and so not enough at the same time. Your poem is a beautiful tribute to this difficult time.
ReplyDeleteManaging our feelings is hard, for sure. I'm glad you are writing about yours. xo
ReplyDeleteIt is utterly surreal that this has been a year of unprovoked aggression and war in Ukraine. Thank you for bearing witness when you'd rather not - that's such a great way of putting it. I, too, am tried to put something into words, and I love what you've done as inspiration.
ReplyDeleteBearing witness. It can sound like nothing, but it's a lot. Thank you for this, Linda. <3
ReplyDeleteThank you for commemorating the one year anniversary of this terrible war with your poem. Historians will record names, dates, places, statistics. Poets are writing about a different truth -- the breaking of human hearts, the injustice, the deterioration of morality. Thank you for being a person of a certain character. ~ Jama
ReplyDeleteThis is a beautiful but sober poem, Linda. Bearing witness - so much in life deserves this - Thank you for sharing your thoughts on this somber occasion.
ReplyDeleteAn excellent golden shovel that honors its subject.
ReplyDeleteThe photo and your lovely poem are heartbreaking. Thank you sharing these.
ReplyDeleteThe photo and your lovely comment are heartbreaking. Thank you for sharing these. -Linda KT
Delete"flowers in sonnets," "citizens of a certain character"...you capture the poignant combination of noteworthy events, horrors even, and the mundane reality of going on living around and through them. <3
ReplyDeleteThose "wreaths of poetry," while not permanent and not a solution, are so important. We must bear witness.
ReplyDeleteBearing witness is an important function of poetry--thank you for the reminder. Paying attention is difficult at times like these, but I keep trying not to look away. I love that you used the photo caption for the end words in your thoughtful and inspiring poem.
ReplyDeleteBoth of your poems bear witness, Linda- and are reminders that we mustn't look away. Our wars are everywhere - especially within. I love letting the poem do the work, forcing us to dig deep and find a way toward peace. I suppose it begins with looking at and naming the war. Ooof.
ReplyDeleteThere's power, beauty, and witness-bearing in both poems, Linda. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteAlso — initially I misread "the word is war" as "the world is war." It is, yes, the world is war ... but people like you bring peace and poetry into it, and that's a much-needed witness.