“Water. Water. Water. What image or feeling does this word evoke within” “Purity, storm, drought…”

With today’s tutorial, I learned how to go about analyzing poems. By starting with a mere word or thought, a whole new world opens up. A world of insight and understanding or a knowledge filled world that forces you to stand back and grasp the moment. With technical tools like referring to the form, then the context and then the title, that 'moment' is more easily found.

We discussed Koleka Putuma’s poem Water. She is a young, black, South- African poet. The poem is filled with racial, political and religion issues. The poem entails the black perspective and context of blacks’ experience of the beach, othering white people from the perspective of being othered. 

This poem is considered an Epic for it spans across time and geography. The time and geography stretches from the apartheid to now. From bondage to 'freedom'. The poem drips with references from when people of color were attacked and killed over waters. Where now, they find themselves 'enjoying' the water, but being criticized by white people for not 'trusting' the water enough. The poem is also considered an Epic for it entails a journey that took place; as mentioned above. Terms such as 'seeking', 'search' and 'memory' describe an epic poem adequately.

Especially being white of color, this poem arouses deep compassion and understanding for the previous struggle and conflict in South Africa regarding people of color. From a white, Afrikaner perspective it was never fully understood why people of color would not 'enjoy the ocean in its full essence'. Now, it is evident that it is not the case at all. It is due to mere respect and his history.

Koleka Putuma’s poem, Water, has many references to religion as well. A specific quote drew my attention: " but you only choose to understand the scriptures that suit your agenda".