It’s been five months to the day since my blog has been around here. Time flies, and I’ve missed you all and, I’ve missed poetry in my life. So here’s to poetry, and I hope I’m back.
This week I read, for the first time, Audre Lorde’s essay, “Poetry is Not a Luxury.” It is a good antiracist piece to read for Black History Month, and beyond. You can find the short piece here in PDF form. Here are some quotes that spoke to me today.
For women, then, poetry is not a luxury. It is a vital necessity of our existence. It forms the quality of the light within which we predicate our hopes and dreams toward survival and change, first made into language, then into idea, then into more tangible action. Poetry is the way we help give name to the nameless so it can be thought. The farthest external horizons of our hopes and fears are cobbled by our poems, carved from the rock experiences of our daily lives.
Right now, I could name at least ten ideas I would have once found intolerable or incomprehensible and frightening, except as they came after dreams and poems.
Poetry is not only dream or vision, it is the skeleton architecture of our lives.
The white fathers told us, I think therefore I am; and the black mothers in each of us–the poet–whispers in our dreams, I feel therefore I can be free.
Our poems formulate the implications of ourselves, what we feel within and dare make real (or bring action into accordance with), our fears, our hopes, our most cherished terrors.
~by Andre Lorde from “Sister Outsider: essays and speeches” page 36. Published by Crossing Press, 1985.
On Being Without Poetry
My poetry was paralyzed
So news events hit oversized
Royal family code vaporized
November’s red wave unrealized
Classified docs getting analyzed
House decorum animalized
Severe earthquake terrorized
Twitter execs scrutinized
UFO blastings authorized
Inane inquisitions formalized
Truth and impartiality despised
Reasonable reckoning pulverized
Justice and morality compromised
Too much news without poetry
Thoughts emphasized
Feelings minimized
But now the poetic truth
Realized
Crystallized
News is more bearable
After
Dreams
And poems
~By Denise Krebs
12 February 2023
Even though most poetry has been absent, I did enjoy a tiny taste over the past few months. If you haven’t already, you might want to follow these sweet tastes of poetry shared at poetryisnotaluxury:
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You can follow another account to learn more about Audre Lorde and how, even in death, she continues to bring people together in community. The Audre Lorde Project
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Welcome back! Such wise words from both you and Audre. Thank you!
Nice to have you back, Denise! Being without poetry does sound hard to bear. I like “Poetry is not only dream or vision, it is the skeleton architecture of our lives.”
This reminds me of a complaint I had about a motto, something like “Making the Arts Essential to Education.” I was like…you don’t have to make them essential. They already are! You just have to make them present.
Thank you for the introduction to Audre Lorde and her words, Denise. I love the way you devISED and stylIZED your poem. “House decorum animalized” – indeed! 🙁
I love this post, Denise. Your poem really brought home the need for poetry in our lives. Thank you so much for sharing it along with Audre’s important message.
Welcome back! I love those quotes on poetry from Audrey Lourde. thank you for sharing the resources, too. And your poem hits the mark.
I am glad to see you back and with poetry realized from your words and others. Your poem did cover most of the recent weeks and months and the challenges. Wishing it weren’t so!
Denise, so nice to see you! You could set that poem to music. It’s got a cool, jazzy vibe.
So glad you shared Audre Lorde’s essay with us. Welcome back. I agree about the news the last 6-8 months. Poetry is not a luxury.
The words of Audre Lord provided a powerful entre’ to your post Denise. You built on that powerful beginning with your own thought provoking poem. It has provided much for your readers to ponder in relation to poetry’s role in the world. It both survives and sustains. It provides solace and clarity. I am glad it has gathered you back in. Poetry is sometimes a safe harbour in turbulent waters.
All of your -ized words hit like hammer blows. Powerful, powerful poem! What a smashing (ha ha) return!! I love knowing where the IG handle poetryisnotaluxury comes from. I follow them and am often inspired.
Thanks for the Lorde quote. The contrast in this bit is important: “The white fathers told us, I think therefore I am; and the black mothers in each of us–the poet–whispers in our dreams, I feel therefore I can be free.”
Good to have you back! I get how you were mesmerized away from poetry–thank goodness for Audre, feelings and freedom.
Thanks for your powerful post and poem Denise, your ending words in each line are very strong, I’m also glad the poetry is softening some of our daily news assaults–it helps me too! Thanks also for the Andre Lorde quotes and links, and happy to have you return!
Your poem resonates, Denise. I feel that I’ve lost so many words since early in the pandemic. And everything you railed against drains a bit more out of me. But poetry has saved me during this time. Sometimes it feels like the only thing that makes sense. Thank you for this reminder that I’m not alone.
I understand the paralysis, Denise. Welcome back! Here’s to always holding onto the necessity of poetry.
I’m so glad you’re back, Denise! I wrote this line from Audre Lorde in my notebook, “Poetry is the way we help give name to the nameless so it can be thought.” The final two stanzas of your poem really resonated as well. Hope to keep seeing you here!