Poety Blog

“And there are so many silence to be broken.” This is what Audre Lorde concludes her article with in, The transformation of silence into Language and action. In this article she speaks of her experience of breast cancer and how, through the women around her and language (the absence of healing) carried her through this time. “Within the war we are all waging with the force of death, subtle and otherwise, conscious or not- I am not only a casualty. I am also a warrior.” In this article Lorde encourages the lack of silence and finding healing in speaking. She writes that if you do not talk about things and traumas that it will one day just ‘punch you in the mouth’. She mentions that a story does not have to be exactly relevant to another person’s, to have empathy and to be encouraged. Lorde says that if one says that one cannot tell one’s story or listen to another’s because ‘I am black’ or ‘I am a woman’, then “we rob ourselves of ourselves and each other.” On the TED talk, Disma...

On the 11 th of October we discussed The Baptism by Ijeoma Umebinyuo. The umbrella theme that is discussed and that is evident within this poem is that of identity and language. The context of the poem is where an African parent is asked for her the name of the daughter and where a European says that she is not allowed that name. The theme of colonialism is tied here with religion. The reason why the girl cannot use her own name, according to the European, is because it is of heathen decent. This is evident where it reads:” Your names are heathen and Jesus needs holy names” and “but your daughter’s name is not that of a European saint and the priest needs to be able to baptize her without bringing in darkness”. It is also mentioned that “God will not understand it”. By stating this quote, it is implied that God is European and that God is not for non-Europeans. If your name is not that of an European saint, then you are not a child of God for how can you be if you cannot even ha...

Nayyirah Waheed's poetry does indeed leave one in a maze of emotion. It consists of a network of paths that act as a puzzle. The network of paths in this case is the paths of thought, the confusion it brings, the many emotions that overwhelms and makes you feel lost. Most of Waheed's poems end with the context of the poem, acting as the author of the poem. This also acts as the title of the poem. This evokes understanding. I am going to focus on two poems. The first one I chose is 'titled' Masculine. This is a poem about what it is to be masculine in society. There are certain standards and expectations of being considered masculine. Being a man, according to society, is one of them. This is evident when she writes "i have seen a man". 'All men have to be masculine. Men have to be tough. Men are not allowed to cry or show emotion. Men are strong- always'. This expectation is portrayed when she writes "but instead beat his heart until it was unc...

It was such a privilege to meet Roleka Putuma on the 20th of September. It is one thing to interpret poetry in your own view or to discuss it in about in class, but to actually see and experience it from the poet themselves is amazing. It is like meeting the artist behind an inspiring painting. It adds so much color to grey areas of understanding and fills up gaps. Putuma performed many poems that was discussed in class and that I have blogged about. That was my favorite. Giving even more life to than my own interpretation of 'words on a paper'. It was such a real experience to hear the back ground behind her train of thought of the poems and how she brought it to life. The same rawness that reflects in her poetry is present in her personality. Key concepts that was evident was the issue of women of color, color in general, having your own voice, rape and patriarchy in general. Two topics that stood out personally was our discussion regarding why we took Writing as healin...

On the 13th of September we discussed Warsan Shire's poem called Souvenir. Shire and her family were refugees from Somalia. The word souvenir evokes many positive ideas and memories. It brings word like ' remembering', 'traveling', 'sentimental ', 'memory', 'holiday', 'symbol' and 'synecdoche' to the surface. Yet, with the first sentence "You brought the war with you", it is evident that the title is not intended as its typical meaning. The poem is a of a progressive nature. It is about war that cannot escape you for you and those around you are constantly reminded thereof. For example when one spots someone from Somalia or with a turban on their head, emotions of warm violence and bombs are evoked. The structure of the poem is progressive, as mentioned previously. In the stanza all the physical characteristics of being a refugee is mentioned. It is as if the refugee is stepping foot in the new country in the fir...

On the 30th August we started digging into Rupi Kaur's Milk and Honey.  Rupi Kaur is a Canadian poet from an Indian decent. She is a very out spoken poet with strong feminism artwork. Her poems have many artistic measures to it, accompanied with various visual illustrations. I am going to discuss one specific poem by Rupi Kaur- The art of being empty.  The poem tells a story about a girl being born and her 'life'. But, on the contrary she writes about being "emptying out of my mothers belly" and how "The only reason you know you're still alive is from the heaving of your chest". The protagonist of the poem tells of how she is born as it was without reason. She tells of two times specifically where she learned to be invisible, as that is expected of a female. The first time was when "emptying out of my mothers belly". This does not sound like an expression of birth and new life, but as the opposite- an abortion. The second time was "l...