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Kylabelle

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Well, since the poet himself is black, I kinda think the title is more than a narrative device here.
 

Chris P

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Which brings something up for me as a writer [and I'm totally willing to get some sensitivity education on this, as it is important] and that is when to use race in writing. For this poem, the poet using "black people" in the title (and not in the body of the poem) is of course intentional, and why? To me, it sets up an expectation that black people would react to these situations differently that would inform my understanding of the poem. But what connotations that brings up will depend on my notions of what "black people do." Challenging connotations and notions is part of what we do as writers, and in order to do so we need to have an understanding of widely held connotations and notions. Otherwise it becomes an in-joke that nobody will get.

On the other hand, growing up where I did in the world it is easy for me to default to "all characters are white unless otherwise specified." This is wrong in its own ways. Couple that with an expectation that race is only mentioned to make a point and leaves me with a skewed view of race in literature that will of course affect how I present PoCs in my own writing.

I've had several drafts of this post where I think out loud further on the issue, but all of them ramble which tells me I don't really know my own thoughts on this. Feel free to discuss.
 

Kylabelle

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What I know is that there is a tremendous groundswell of anguish among POC and especially black people about the upsurge in racist acts and especially killings that are not brought to any kind of justice. While I do not know this poet's mind, of course, my first take was that this, in general is what is referred to.

As for sensitizing oneself to all this, I recommend highly reading current (and actually also not so current) black writers for a feel of the state of things. Have just read through, for instance, Jericho Brown's The Tradition (poetry book just published) I have some kind of awareness. The constant microaggressions of a racist culture build a kind of platform on which the acts of tragedy and senseless death play out, and there is a great build-up of anguish because of it.

I was just that moment, before checking in here, reading someone's tweet that said, if you are going to write about a marginalized people, do it with respect because it is like you are walking into our house, into our bodies. I think that is a great key, but of the "necessary and not sufficient" kind.

It's good that you know you have that blind spot. Racism is in part founded on invisibility. "They" don't really exist because we have all been segregated into our assigned areas. It's a deadly poison.
 

Kylabelle

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Good morning. Here's a poem called Dor by Nathalie Handal.

this poem speaks to me because of the way it reflects the experience of feeling like a stranger wandering through life -- a feeling I am uncomfortably familiar with. I also love some of the images -- "light has wounds"


​Happy Wednesday. :)
 

Maryn

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I liked it. "Our unmade hearts" was another excellent line.
 

Kylabelle

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Wonder if I dare post another poem today? (Glad you like that one, Maryn.) It floated into my inbox after I'd already posted this one.

Purple Bathing Suit by Louise Gluck, chosen by Tracy K. Smith for "The Slowdown" daily poetry email (I think this is part of the National Poetry Month doin's.) Tracy Smith is the US Poet Laureate.

And this poem is grit your teeth and then punch to the heart. Well, Louise Gluck....
 

Kylabelle

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Poem: Lifted, by Craig Morgan Teicher

"I must learn to celebrate when I fail."

This is sooo relateable!

Last night I had a rejection that stung (some do more than others) and then, this morning, an acceptance I was sure was going the other way. I am amazed at how these things affect my mood. I know it's to be expected and all that but gosh I want to be immune to it! Or at least much less at the effect of it.
 

Maryn

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It took me a while to find the mood to read a poem, but I liked it. Can't I be the special one, just once?

Uh, no.

Maryn, kidding--or not