Would You Be White or Black? by Amit Dahiyabadshah
The Word in My Nomadic Ear by Amit Dahiyabadshah
Prayer for Words by N. Scott Momaday
The Man Whose Voice Has Been Taken From His Throat by Naomi Shihab Nye
I am here because somebody survived by Cornelius Eady
Skin Tight by Ishmael Reed
I had invited Amit Dahiyabadshah to attend today and we started the session with his two poems.
His presence made this one of the most memorable and enjoyable sessions we have ever had.
He stayed for the rest of the session and lent such depth to the discussion bringing up such ideas as how as poets, we only write half a poem. The other half comes from the listener. You only need 2,000 words in English to write a novel, read a book, but for poems, you want to choose words that are accessible, and give a desire to want to read them again. His definition of a good poem: You hear it, and want to buy the book in which it appears!
If there is resonance, the poem really comes alive. Certainly Amit creates this as he reads. It is so fun to have the “text” in front of our eyes, and yet see how he modifies the poem as he reads… picking up on the energy of the audience. Everyone present was thoroughly enchanted by him and by his poetry. With zoom, having a poet reading from New Delhi (11 hours time difference, so 11 pm his time when we started at noon) is possible.
(see below more information about Amit.) You can hear his voice in this link: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Amit+Dahiyabadshah (thank you to John W.!)
Although he says he has more "luck than talent" both the written version and oral delivery of his poems confirm that his poems are the sort that indeed make you want to go out and buy the book and recording that contain them. (His definition of a good poem).
Nutshell:
Would you be white or black: The subtle transformation from the drunk's question are you white or black to "would you", rephrased with a layer of politesse, brings the particular story to the larger question about how we think about skin color. Indeed, India with thousands of languages and dialects, also has a population of "thousands of shades of human skin". His brilliant metaphor does not chide Americans for the "cold emptiness of black and white". He simply, and quite aptly compares our emotional landscape to an infinite and permanent state of a winter woods. What a contrast with the opening adjectives that describe a range of emotions that respond to the question: skin color is not a question of black and white nature! His mind went blank, a word repeated nine times...supported by these adjectives: surprised, mystified, unnamed, shamed, curious, furious.
The word in my Nomadic Ear: Here, the verb to denote the action of the "pen" is caravans... with the delightful metaphor of the "wisdom: the journey's wage upon the ivory prayer bead trail" . This pen which traces across the desert page, the fruit and shade of chosen words... captures the possibilities of written words comparing them to night stars impaled on Black Buck horns... the pleasure of the sounds of "crescent curve of moon,
sand dune", acacia thorn, Urdu-born... wetness in the ink... pause to think...
He explained the image of the spiral horns of the Black Buck (but did not go into the poaching-- you might enjoy this article. https://www.indiatoday.in/education-today/gk-current-affairs/story/blackbuck-facts-and-why-they-are-endangered-html-1205359-2018-04-05
John echoed another version of characteristics of languages: "sniffing and tasting of French; the sun-soaked Italian, the growl of Spanish, etc." Just like people "looking but not seeing", for language,
we are often insensitive to the tone, culture, layered implications that go far beyond the mere word.
Amit not only paints a sketch of such possibilities, but illustrates how words come alive "making a sweet bridge while crossing between two people".
This was the poem I heard at the open mic and just had to see in print. We can thank this poem,
for prompting me to contact Amit -- leading to the pleasure of his visit in person on zoom.
Prayer for words: This poem brought up much discussion about Native Americans and how cruelly their traditions were silenced. The title gives a sacred overtone to this eloquently-expressed and sensory-filled poem which encapsulates a Navajo world view of creation, the sense of the Great Spirit infusing all of nature.
Amit asked about the chokecherry, and case in point about details: it is sour, (echoing the bitterness), but also used for medicinal purposes.
The Man Whose Voice Has Been Taken From His Throat: to continue the theme of silencing...
The violent title, which carries into the first line... which in turn, describes a living, still articulate in gesture albeit voiceless, man. The first word on the first line "remains" associates with the noun
for dead body as well as the verb, of what continues on, what is left (echoed 4 stanzas later "he speaks to the shadow/of leaves). Such eloquent images are in each couplet, each like a self-contained fragment.
I could imagine the shape of Mexico like a question mark... and we thought of the metaphorical implications as well as the Spanish upside-down question mark used at the beginning of clauses that pose a question.
https://blog.rosettastone.com/whats-up-with-the-upside-down-question-mark/
We spoke of dual cultures, the history of Mexico... Aztecs, Spaniards, Americans... how the violence continues... how people survive... and we all live on "ill-gotten gains".
Amit shared an anecdote about visiting Pennsylvania: He was following Wissahickon creek
on Tulpehocken street what the Indians called "The Trail of Turtles" -- and on this now paved trail, he saw a solitary turtle making its journey to the river on the asphalt! A perfect segue to the next poem.
"I am here because somebody survived". I couldn't find the quote, or "On Meditation" by Mahogany Brown referenced in the epigraph. What a graphic, surrealistic version of survival! The sounds reinforce the meaning. In particular, the play of goon/fool/cartoon.
Skin Tight: Listen to this recording to hear how Ishmael Reed slows down, accentuates certain words and for the overall tone. https://player.fm/series/poem-a-day/ishmael-reed-skin-tight
What a view of the human condition! Comments included humorous and yet "irreverence struck into the heart". The clichés used with skin coupled with the personification of all the parts of the body do not bring up the issue of racism, skin color, and yet, it feels clear. As Amit mentioned, a poet only writes half of the poem -- the listener completes the other half. He shared his comments about what the brain does, and doesn't use in our perceptions. (see below in note: "Skilled Observation for Dynamic Perception"-- often our "looking" is only skin-deep... we don't see the whole person.)
The discussion included paradox as central to the human condition (take paradox out of any country, and nothing would be left...)
Amit shared his view that the last 100 years have been the most peaceful -- in spite of the two world wars-- that before, wars could eradicate 50% of a society. We discussed politicians, caste...
More about Amit:
I happened to meet Amit through John Roche and Jules Nyquist’s Kaktus reading in an open mic. He read the fabulous poem, The word in my Nomadic Ear, at the open mic and so I contacted him… and we started corresponding.
He believes that the real and sustainable change will come from having more poets and more poetry writing in an accessible way about sustainable change… you can hear him read here:
He has published 20 collections -- his 21st "Unsquaring the Circle - The Poetry of Amit Dahiyabadshah" is under print and being sold by booking in advance @ $25 U.S.D excluding actual postage.
His signature poem ( available on Youtube) The Last Will of the Tiger is on NDTV with Amitabh Bachhan has helped the channel raise over a half million dollars to help save the tiger.
Amit might mention some of the TEDx bio below in passing, but is very humble and has a great sense of humor.
His parents were freedom fighters…and he comes from a village he says is for farmers and soldiers, 140 km from New Delhi. Farming is being ousted by real estate, rather as it is in our American surburban landscape. For 25 years, he has supported himself through poetry. He elaborated the prime difference between "educated" and "literate" explaining his theory about "Skilled Observation for Dynamic Perception". He grew up with a language which is not written, happened to learn English from two peace corps people, learned how to write in two languages. His understanding is deeper than book learning, because he
is curious, and his way of looking sees quite deeply. As he put it, most people sacrifice curiosity for comfort; everybody can look, but their perception is "skin deep."
Amit Dahiyabadshah has been recognised as Poet Laureate of the Senior Environment Corps Center in The Park G. Town Philadelphia and As Poet In Residence of the Global Constitution Forum Philadelphia. He's the founder of the poetry movement, Delhi Poetree which has been featured on BBC world service and NDTV and also in the premium print media in both news papers and magazines. Coverage of DelhiPoetree events and poets is more than twenty times the media coverage of all other poetry groups combined. He is a successful working Poet and his efforts working methods are a revelation to other poets in finding dignity and empowerment as successful promoters of poetry in general and their own works in particular. He is the author of Seven collections of Poetry of which the latest is America In A Brown Eye. His book for children entitled Murugan's Trees is being Translated into 23 languages.
