poetry thursday
in the morning
for mary
it was my first poetry reading
i, a reluctant 7 year old attendee
standing in my jockeys as my sister,
her mouth twisting violently
around Dunbar’s dialectic verse,
screeched "lias, lias, bless de lawd"
at eight, my sister lacked subtlety
screaming lines without attention to timbre or tone,
commas & hyphens caused her no pause
she was, as instructed, projecting,
loud enough for her voice to bounce
off the rear of draper elementary’s auditorium
& to wake the deceased & resting Dunbar
a shrill fisherwoman’s delivery for a future audience
shut up, i muttered, through sleepy eyes
as my sister switched to Langston’s poem,
"life for me ain’t been no crystal stair"
her head rocking with emphasis & joy at my annoyance
i heard these two poems ricochet off the walls of our home
no less than five thousand times in a truncated February
my friends came to my home often,
looking for this kid named lias, who caused my sister
to scream with madness every waking hour
& searching in vain for the crystals in our stairs
by the time my sister had her official reading
our entire family was reciting both poems
like brainwashed idiots
thirty years later, it is me
annoying my family with verse and stanza
casting my life by the poems coursing my veins
while my sister’s life has become the jagged minstrel
that identify Dunbar’s lyrics
her song marked by the erratic meter
of an addict’s rhyme as she fills her lungs
with the shattered remains of a descending crystal stair
now i recite poems that beg her to live,
that implore her to be as tenacious in her search
for rhythm & meaning as the little girl
who lit up our home with sweet black words
who Langston warned and Dunbar amused
in the morning,
i pray for the blessing of any lord
for some lyrical benediction
to heal her cacophonous wounds
& make whole again the little girl,
who clings to sonnets & sobriety.
Kenneth Carroll
Right now, my deciding factor for Poetry Thursday is "poems that make me gasp out loud." And this one did. It also made me laugh out loud and invited little pinpricks of tears to tap at the back of my eyes.
If you would like to share a poem, one that speaks to you...makes you gasp out loud, please post it to your blog. And then you can email me and I will post a link to your blog in a new sidebar heading of Poetry Thursday participants. If you do not have a blog and want to post a poem, please feel free to post it in the comments here.
Let the poetry readings begin...
poetry
Reader Comments (16)
Ack. I tried leaving a comment and something weird happened. Hopefully you won't get a double-shot of my thoughts today, hehe.
I am amazed at synchronicity. For the first time ever I posted a poem on my site today! I think that's so cool.
And thank you for sharing this poem. I also laughed out loud and was touched by it. I'm endlessly fascinated by how our little kid self disappears and appears in our adult lives.
yay - wayward tulip, Kenneth Carroll and Poetry Thursday sparked by Liz! I'm happy to say I did post a poetry thingie for today on my blog. I couldn't limit myself to just one, though they are both short. :) ... thanks for doing this, Liz and I will email you as requested.
Maureen
oh yeah, an btw that is a fantastic! poem to start us off. Made me stop breathing for a few seconds. Beautiful. thanks for sharing that one, Liz.
what a great poem! thanks for sharing.
poems that make you gasp out loud...those are my favorite kinds.
Beautiful poem! Thanks for starting Poetry Thursday!
I just stumbled into your blog today. I just might start to play... I've written a couple of poems in the past and there's more where they came from ;) See ya, Jennifer
I'm not sure what to say except - oh. Oh! That poem is just...at first I was not sure what to make of it and then I settled in and then - then it turned. Oh my. Thank you for sharing it.
Hi, and thanks so much for following through with this great idea! Please add me to your sidebar for Poetry Thursday. I have posted a poem on my blog. :)
I was very moved by the poem you selected. It caused me great pause. Thanks for sharing.
LIz.....You are such a beautiful person....have a good weekend.
What moving, lovely poem! Thank you for sharing it . . . and coming up with the idea for Poetry Thursday!
I like this idea.
I'm truly so greatful for you doing this poetry thursday bit. I love to come here and find nourishment, if that makes any sense at all!
FANTASTIC poem Liz and what a truly AMAZING idea!! I'd love to join, but fear that I won't be able to guarantee I'll have time to post a poem every Thursday while I'm away. When I get back though, I'll definitely join in the fun. I love that you started this! It's such a fabulous way to share poetry, and ourselves, with the blog world. Thank you!
I remembered to email, but forgot to post a comment, saying how much I appreciate your starting this project. It's lovely to see what poems touch other people's hearts, and get introduced to new poets - and maybe get the chance to see some of the bloggers' own work, too. Thanks.
Yea I was wondering if you started this....I am definately taking part.