Tolstoy and the Spider: Jane Hirschfield
Characteristics of Life by Camille T. Dungy
Pentimento by Jennifer Pruden Colligan
Metaphor of America as this homegrown painted lady chrysalis -- Camille Dungy[1]
Metaphor of America
Em Dash by Katie Dozier (KHD)
Lines to a Nasturtium by Anne Spencer 1882 –1975
[1] p. 282 of her book Soil:The Story of a Black Mother's Garden
Nutshell:
Hirschfield: It was perfect that Paul opening the reading of the first poem with imitation dramatic coughing... not that we are suffering from wildfire smoke right now, but we could imagine the smoke from Tolstoy's scenes of Moscow burning...
The fun of putting two disparate elements, such as a classic novel and a spider is perfect territory for poetry! Hard not to think of the role of Charlotte, in Charlotte's web. I asked if this were the kind of poem people would want to read again after reading it the first time. The 14 of us present, agreed, we would. Judith mentioned the weird way the fire in Moscow has an effect and yet doesn't ... The mention of directions at the end, evokes the fairytale quality of East of Sun, West of the Moon...We spent some time on that word "back". Why do we go back to a story? How does a story travel back? Perhaps for the "what ifs" and alternative choices exploring all directions and possibilities. I was reminded of the poem Otherwise by a similarly spirited poet, Jane Kenyon. https://wordsfortheyear.com/2016/08/22/otherwise-by-jane-kenyon/
If you think about each moment in your day... how easily it could be otherwise... and for sure, at the end, when we will be no longer, we will be in an otherwise for which no one can imagine description.
I had included the opening lines of Hirschfield's poem, "Sheep" below the first poem as poetic food for thought. . It is the work of feeling /to undo expectation. https://spokensongpdx.blogspot.com/2013/08/it-is-work-of-feeling-to-undo.html
Both references came from https://fivepoints.gsu.edu/issue/five-points-vol-13-3/
Pentimento: Like rewinding a story... discovering a new direction from a backstory or hints from a palimpsest... The advantages of a "leaky camera" letting light in, came in. (Speaking of which, do check out the current exhibit at Image City https://www.imagecityphotographygallery.com/-- where there are wonderful photographs that explore this as well as collage technique. The word, chrism used in the poem is a mixture of oil and balsam, consecrated and used for anointing at Baptism, Last Rites in the Catholic, Orthodox and Anglican churches. Definitely a feel of a painting of Good Friday, Resurrection and Christmas.
Dungy: Characteristics of Life
What matters? Why should we care about extinction of species? We were reminded of Richard Dawkin and other environmentalists and the intertwining of life. We admired the phrasing for the qualities mentioned: "underneathedness", the frowning on "spinelessness", inconsistency. Should we be silent as we observe the threats to our fragile planet? The poems ends in affirmation of the possibility to change. It is linked to longing -- and here, each reader can fill in what this is, provided only with two images: distances between meadows of night-blooming flowers; the impossible hope of the firefly. This is enough to remind us to become like the firefly and express our hopes. Write your congress reps; letters to editors. Share this poem!
Metaphor of America as this homegrown painted lady chrysalis: here, as Judith pointed out, Dungy has "her tongue very stuck in her cheek". The description of this butterfly gives hope. Claudia shared how there is a metamorphosis of our society... more emphasis on black/brown and a greater awareness of the complexity, the explosive power of that touch of white.
Metaphor of America: Judith felt echos of EE Cummings https://genius.com/E-e-cummings-next-to-of-course-god-america-i-annotated with a touch of Gertrude Stein (rose is a rose). But Parody with deep meaning. This led to a discussion about tone... and the danger of its extinction in technology which compounds the struggle for understanding with texting and email.
Anne Spencer: Knowing her dates, her activism and that she was the first Black Woman poet in the Norton Anthology in 1973 will confirm overtones and underlayers of the struggle of being black, being an artist, especially as a woman. I enjoyed this review of it, especially if the poem be considered a passionate valentine-- but with strange knots in the lace! https://frankhudson.org/2018/02/14/lines-to-a-nasturtium/
We concurred it is beautifully crafted and quite consciously controlled. Judith mentioned how it would be a perfect candidate to be set to music, by Benjamin Britten. (If Britten's genius in the area interests you: https://books.google.com/books/about/Benjamin_Britten_s_Poets.html?id=YQEUAQAAIAAJ (
Anne Spencer's Nasturtiums sent me looking for more of her poetry: https://www.literaryladiesguide.com/classic-women-authors-poetry/10-poems-by-anne-spencer-about-nature-love-and-life/
Earth, I thank you
for the pleasure of your language
You’ve had a hard time
bringing it to me
I'm not so sure about "grunting through the noun" and prefer "1975"
1975
Turn an earth clod
Peel a shaley rock
In fondness molest a curly worm
Whose familiar is everywhere
Kneel
And the curly worm sentient now
Will light the word that tells the poet what a poem is.
Admire the "read and seed" in this game of "Taboo" -- and the surprising end to her poem "Translation" : My soul so leapt that my evening prayer
Stole my morning song!
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