December 4

 blake; Nálí, Her Solo  by Laura Tohe; Why Wouldn’t Autonomous Cars Cry at Night?  by Ryan McCarty; The Early Bird by Ted Kooser; Grading Rubric by Antonio de Jesús López; Two poems by M.J. Iuppa: https://thewildword.com/poetry-summer-mj-iuppa/ : God’s Eye View; Waiting for Nothing

Paul's comment:     "A Philosopher's overload, I'd say......McCarty's used cars, autonomously confused, rambling around over MJI's , "God's Eye View". Oh, the things that precurse the final understanding...."

  In the discussion, it came up how helpful it is often to know something about the poet. I always appreciate those who research the poets and add their background as further fodder for discussion!  For instance, knowing Antonio de Jesus Lopez is an activist and his poetry in his book Gentefication  addresses in the undertone of Gente, Spanish not just for "people", but a group, folk, dwellers... so not the usual gentry of "those who've made it" but specifically Latinidad success stories, and a whole system of "tokenizing" and survivor's guilt for those receiving scholarships and succeeding.  

 For those who are not familiar with Lucille Clifton, an important voice for 20th century, I hope you will read more of her work.  Clifton did not use capitals by choice, to challenge convention perhaps.  In a discussion of her poem, "won't you celebrate with me" the lowercase "i" in particular is perhaps a footnote to the challenges she faced  as an independent, confident Black woman.https://www.poetryfoundation.org/articles/69412/lucille-clifton-wont-you-celebrate-with-me 

Perhaps like me, you never had heard the name Laura Tohe.  You might be surprised to find out she is poet laureate of the Navajo Nation for 2015–2019, ( and Native American author and poet). She is a professor emerita of English at Arizona State University.  You might also enjoy finding out about Ryan McCarty, PhD, who teaches at University of Michigan, https://lsa.umich.edu/english/people/faculty/ryanmcca0.html.  

We are so fortunate to have such a variety of voices available in contemporary poetry!  I express my gratitude to all the journals, chance encounters and regular sources I consult -- and to all who offer suggestions!

NUTSHELL OF DISCUSSION

Blake: The title is the first word of the poem, and immediately one wonders if there is a specific reference to a poem by  William Blake, (1757-1827).  Polly puzzled if perhaps there were some relationship to Tiger Tiger burning bright, and Marna puzzled if perhaps there was reference to Blake's bird poem https://www.poetry.com/poem/39149/the-birds .  Jan mentioned Blake is a visionary poet which flavors this poem as well.  The once-mentioned "birds" is a way to connect writing (quill pens) and soul (angels) to address the hunger to create something.   It could be that Clifton is attracted to Blake's ability to be simple and direct.  Perhaps she has chosen "Blake" as the name of a fictitious black boy to express the difficulty of surviving racial exclusions, as well as  her acknowledgement of the fellow poet, who was not recognized as important in his lifetime, as she  searches to create her own poem.   

This beautifully crafted 11 line poem is replete with rhyme, slant rhyme, skillful enjambment, but also the  delay technique inverting the syntax so "they" is only revealed on the third line as angels, and the flight of words combining need, hunger the power of language to deliver hope and a sort of reckoning with who we have become.   The humility of asking for just one poem combines and contrasts with  sense of urgency  to deliver grace, knowing poems don't just fall out of trees.  It takes a visionary to find those angels ready to scribe. 

Nali: Like Lucille, Laura does not use capitals, but here, the title does not run into the first line.  The poet explains in the note that when her grandmother was creating something beautiful, whether the weaving or the notes rising, it was "like she was doing a solo".  This is a beautiful portrait that moves out of the poem, like music, as the Grandmother works her loom, her voicing of stories, patterns of stars and storm.  

The line describing the grandmother as  "storyteller and mathematician" prompted Neil  to draw a parallel with his interview with  the founder of the TED talks, Richard Saul Wurman, who observed the powerful convergence among three fields: technology, entertainment and design.  (He is also the author of a number of innovative books (several in my library), including "Information Anxiety" & an extremely clever ahead of their times travel tour books series under his "Access" rubric. Actually I think he may have used similar heuristics in assisting in revamping the San Francisco Yellow Pages. See the following reference...https://pages.gseis.ucla.edu/faculty/agre/access.html)

Why Wouldn't Autonomous Cars...  As Paul pointed out, the first four letters of autonomous are shared with automobile.  We enjoyed the rich alliteration and cleverness of the conceit addressing our loneliness and emptiness.  The ending is a sad but accurate sign of the times.   Perhaps cars indeed live in a parallel universe and need to cope with their vulnerabilities as we do. One person remarked  how complete an antithesis this poem is to the Laura Tohe one.  What are we caught in here?  We need to go back to the loom! 

On the brighter side, we enjoyed sharing names we've given our cars... and Mary remarked on the fun of going to a car show, where indeed, you feel the personalities and fashions of each vehicle!

The Early Bird:  Paul mentioned the couplet form invites a "mix and match" of possibilities, but however you combine the lines, Kooser works sound and story... the "wooden-pulley" notes of the early bird... the "bucket of dawn".  I like that part of the "work" given to the early bird is to "let us drink" from this heavy bucket its notes help draw up.  There was a little ambiguity about the final "drink", perhaps an implied celebratory beverage... or simply rainwater, or metaphorical refreshment of dawn.  Then again,  "letting us drink" could mean  those drinking (he doesn't specify what)  don't have to bother with singing up the dawn.

Grading Rubric:  How do you weight trauma?  Comedians know how to balance cleverness and pain, which this satire does brilliantly.  Many played with the math... For the first category, "Formal Essay"  it is variable:  if you pick 55%, and include "In-Class" and "Participation", it makes 100%.  Then again, if the Formal Essay is 65%, to make 100%, you need to eliminate "Participation".  There is no variable either way in the participation category.  

It is clear the student is finding ways to defend him/herself "In Class".  Pun on class as well.  All of the rubrics are diminishing to the immigrant child.

Poems by MJ Iuppa:  All three end with a slant reference to her battle with cancer.  The rhythms, alliterations, sounds combine with keen observation.  Seeing not only what is in front of her, but in the future in God's Eye View spells out what we tend to avoid talking about -- or simply don't want to see.  The thick pewter clouds set the tone.

The title, Waiting for Nothing could be understood as not needing to wait for anything... or uselessness of waiting, or not to count on expectations, which the poem confirms.  The slowness and stillness, the implied snail with its "silver signature" contrast sharply with the sudden rain.  Her humility is generous and invites us to adopt her mindset.  Who is anyone to say anything is over?  This is not the same as don't give up, or keep up the courage.  Life, death, and mystery of life continuing.

Turkey Tail: apparently reputed to have a curative effect on cancer.  But so is admiring the beauty of this beautiful mushroom exquisitely described.  

As Mary Oliver says, "to pay attention -- that is our endless and proper work." MJ echoes this, urging us to look closely.  One day we won't be able to.