It's Important I Remember that the Moral Arc of the Universe Bends by Cortney Lamar Charleston
Honk by Mary Hood
The Turkey by Mary Hood
Hydrangea by Mary Hood
Amish Clotheslines by Mary Hood
How the Oriole Got Its Colors by Mary Hood
How Two Small Inventions Explain the Laws of the Universe by Mary Hood
Omnivores by Mary Hood
The first poem (May 3, 2021) came from the "Teach This Poem" site of the American Academy of Poets.
The poems that follow are by Mary A. Hood, a microbiologist and local poet who for over 30 years of teaching and research has a keen understanding of how certain bacteria survive and thrive. As she puts it, “the perspective of working with ‘invisible things’ perhaps gives these poems a more scientific and detailed insight into the nature of the small
and common. After all, E.O. Wilson rightly claims, it is all the “little things” that run the world.
Mary read and discussed her work at the June 16th zoom gathering. She explained the title of her book was inspired by essays by Chris Arthur. How easily we overlook the familiar... even adages might look familiar, but we forget what they mean.
"With a surgeon’s touch, the “common” is re-exposed, plated, gently stained in her wisdom and left for us to ponder.
Insightful past the point of delightful, her work is plain, accessible and simply wise. It takes time write lines like these.
Deep lines, not masked in some hard to grasp allusional reference, no, her work is not hard to see. The beauty is right there."
-- review of her reading 6/8 by David Delaney
I quoted from her title poem of her book Camouflage of the Known available from FootHills Publishing: http://www.foothillspublishing.com/2021/hood.html
We all know the adage, "familiarity breeds contempt" , but Mary's sense of humor applies it to defend the dandelion. "to take an ordinary thing and make it less so/ to give it beauty and significance or meaningfulness/does not change reality--
what changes in our perception. These lines prove the point.
"If its white spheres of seeds,/ghostly in their translucency blown by the wind everywhere/ so that next year the fields become a cemetery of/self-perpetuating globes, the dandelion might become a palette on which something accustomed is newly seen.".
She also read
(p. 14) Honk before the first poem in the line up which helped the discussion of it and
p. 45 Sonnet #5 after that discussion and in closing
p. 20: The Pencil
On June 14, Carmin, Paul, Marna, Mary, Judith and Martin and I gathered to discuss the poems.
One question that came up is what makes for "poetry" vs. observations. I've come across recently the term, "Observational Poet" -- but aren't all poets observing?
6/16 discussion: David H, David S, Bernie, Elaine, Rose-Marie, Barb, Emily, Lori (Mary and Marna!)
Summary:
Cortney Lamar Charleston: as a Cave Canem fellow, it is not surprising to see a "left-of-center" poem. Certainly, a biblical flavor of proverbs and politically "woke" . We at first wondered if he was self-indulgent in his criticism of lack of morality and justice. Interesting that he says, "my country" and not "the country I live in" or "the United States". It takes several readings to see his "apology" to make morality a weapon, followed by the way slaveowners used the Bible and "morality" to justify unimaginable cruelty. (David brought up Mark Twain on 6/16 who understood there was nothing better than the Bible to defend the atrocities of slavery.
https://www.brainpickings.org/2014/10/24/mark-twain-on-slavery-empathy-compassion/
There's a sense of Martin Luther King, but a different kind of power which is not rhetorical. Judith remarked he is "heavily creative" with the "crimson tide" towards the end, and we wondered if this is necessary or effective.
6/16: discussion: It's amazing how sequence can change things. It had worked very well to start on
Monday with the Charleston poem... and indeed, on Monday, Martin brought up the era of protest, and the failure of the "war against drugs"; the military attitude in police and how the rules changed from "you may not fire unless fired upon to new rules of look out for yourself. protect yourself.
on 6/14 we had followed with Mary's poem Honk -- which says what normally would never be said in polite circles, referring to horrific actions provoked by anger. On 6/16, I reversed the order. The Charleston poem was last, and I had Mary read Honk first. As Rose-Marie pointed out, we are not trained to read poetry about the black experience written by young contemporary people. "Honk" (written by a white scientist approaching 80) gives an insight into rage in ways we understand, and we can identify with confessing to want to do the things you should never do, let alone admit feeling.
Cortney Lamar Charleston gives an understatement that "not to say saying no to violence isn't commendable" before getting to the point: cracking a skull or two indeed has a strong case.
The metaphor of cracking open a skull "like an everyday egg in hopes whatever golden light resides inside shines through"... immediately draws attention. We struggled with the next word, "throughs"-- the pluralizing of through, as in pushing through... however, there's also that grim knowledge... that things don't change -- tides might recede, but they come in again. Back to the title: the role of morality...
it might bend toward, or away justice... but indeed, it does not confront the truth this country "has conveniently and consistently eluded." The poet's choice of title starts with a quote used by Martin Luther King: “The Arc of the Moral Universe is Long, But it Bends Toward Justice.”
I do not pretend to understand the moral universe; the arc is a long one, my eye reaches but little ways; I cannot calculate the curve and complete the figure by the experience of sight; I can divine it by conscience. And from what I see I am sure it bends towards justice.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theodore_Parker
Mary's poem refers to her own heart of darkness... which lends a reference to Joseph Conrad's portrayal of how "civilized" and "savage" can be understood. It is accessible but also invites us to think more
deeply about how to right a wrong... Cortney's poem reminded David Sanders of a James Baldwin play where a mother says to her boy, you gonna make yo'self sick with anger. To which he replies, no, I gonna make myself well with anger. (forgive the perhaps inaccurate quote.) We discussed history... no violence... no action... but can we stop violence with violence?
This article by James Baldwin from November 1962 is well-worth the read: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1962/11/17/letter-from-a-region-in-my-mind
interesting to compare with this article from 1998:
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1998/02/16/the-enemy-within-hilton-als
The Turkey: we enjoyed the sotto voce play of "wattles" (that fleshy pendulous "process" in some birds) with the first verb: waddles... Direct and visual... and we did check the science of how many are in a mother turkey's clutch -- 4-17!
Mary explained this was inspired by an actual event she saw. Her response to Bernie's compliment about the hawk "suddenly inking its way along the ground like an arrow": All poets are basically thieves!
Hydrangea: we enjoyed the humor of this... and got into a discussion about the beauty of the ornamental hydrangea... and the little "hair net" of blooms... Mary confirmed the tongue-in-cheek, and as many of us feel, we can lose a lot as we age, but may it not be our sense of humor!
Amish Clotheslines: for sure a dandy and brought up all sorts of associations... the geometric nappies... the wonderful alliterative sounds, the sh-sh-sh like a washing machine in shirts shrug, sheets, proportions, the sibilance and liquids. The idea of impressionistic painting, offering a different vision from the realists came up as well. Refreshing!
Martin brought up the idea of laundry as something normally inanimate, treated as if it were animate, indeed, filled as with a soul. One could leap into thinking about psychology and physics... the big bang, free will, determinism-- The last two stanzas give us first the physics of “how things get put together”, then the “if” of the practical moral… the topsy-turviness of vice-versa which explains reality — first things one way… going up… then another… going down… and really, nothing held together. This poem addresses indirectly what it is to be human...
6/16: Mary explained that she lives in Amish country. Bernie: "The first line launches us, presages what comes next (spread of goodwill). The poem is simple and acts like a prayer in itself."
Barbara picked up on the scientific contrast in the 3rd stanza, "evolutionary sequence", glad for the choice.
Rose-marie loved the beauty of the images-- the rhythm of wind-music!
Marna loves folk-dancing and said not only was the poem dancing, but evoked the joy of dancing inside her. When we brought up what a good poem this would be for an animation, Mary said the images originally were inspired by the Nutcracker suite. Barbara brought up the vulnerability of putting clothes on the line -- how certain items perhaps not everyone would like to place in view...
Some wondered... do the Amish know they are doing something so beautiful?
It would be sad to think one day clotheslines (or the Amish) might be no longer...
How the Oriole ...
Reminds us of Kipling's Just-So stories... How the Whale got his Throat', 'How the Camel got his Hump', 'How the Rhinoceros got his Skin', 'How the Leopard got his Spots'. Judith reminded us that Aesop's fables are Indian. Also Native American overtones.
Paul helped us with the mafia expression "to dip his beak", meaning "give a little share"... but I doubt
the other slang use is intended here. David continued (6/16) with the idea of a dipped beak meaning "incurring debt" which matches the moral perfectly.
How 2 Small Inventions...
Another delight... clever yet philosophical. Mary reminded us that a paper clip is awfully handy when straightened as tool... Rose Marie loved how this poem illustrates the motif of looking at things in a different way, including time. Vice-versa takes on a new meaning and the one and the same of sand in the hourglass reminds us how glass is made of sand.
It prompted Judith to recite this verse
from the chapter on Zen in Langdon Warner’s The Enduring Art of Japan which she has owned probably since 1952 or thereabouts. It is not credited with any source.
Broom said to Buddha
We saints may never sleep.
Buddha said to broom
We little folks must sweep.
Old brocaded Abbot
Smiled as he knelt to broom.
Buddha leaned in cupboard
While Abbot swept the room.
Omnivores: more wit and fun... Mary reminded us that the title, to an ecologist, refers to those species who eat any and everything... Inspired by watching a blackbird foraging, she creates a scene where we can observe how the bird participates in a world consumed by the other...
More About Mary:
6/16: Mary explained her concern that her poems be accessible above all. Her interest in poetry came after her PhD in microbiology, and work with Chiton in Louisiana marshes, bacteria affecting oysters, and joining a writing group
in Florida. She was impressed by the women involved… like Jorie Graham https://poets.org/poet/jorie-graham
and Martha Collins. https://marthacollinspoet.com
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