MARCH 1997
Roy D. Wilson
JODY ALIESAN
DEBORAH A. MIRANDA
ROY D. WILSON
CULTURAL GEOGRAPHY
Poetry is power. Making poetry means making
power, empowering. In the words of June Jordan, poetry means taking control
of the language of your life.
Dr. King says
power is the ability to achieve purpose. The poet achieves purpose by the
use of the word, and because poets deal with purpose and power, they must
also be responsible.
Everyone is or
can be a poet, because everyone can tell the truth. The role of the poet
is to be honest. There is little distinction between a poet and a leader
since both roles demand truth. A duty to say how it really is as well as
a responsibility to say how it ought to be. Power is not flat, nor does
it exist only in the physical realm. There is personal power. Political
power. Economic power. Cultural and spiritual power. There is group power,
nation state power. Of course, there is also lack of power. A poet lives
so that life, love, and lofty noble relations gain power.
In the words of
Armando Martinez, "a poet must always be willing to speak up because
a word or a line can save a life." June Jordan affirms Armando's statement
by saying "good poems can interdict a suicide, rescue a love affair,
and build a revolution."
While poetry requires
the poet to express herself, the primary role of the poet remains not self
expression but representational expression. The poet amplifies the voice
of others. When the poet tells the truth, she speaks the lines which others
recognize as their own.
The poet cannot
hide from reality, from his or her being of a specific nation, born at a
specific historical moment, and being of a particular race, class, gender
and personality.
Two hundred years
ago the written word was used exclusively by the economic and ecclesiastical
elite in their battles for dominion over peoples and places. Popular use
of writing is still very new. Today's poets have the privilege of writing
the word in the battles for equality and justice.
Today, peoples
around the planet live confronted by violence, fragmentation, scarcity of
jobs, livable wages, housing and health care. The poet plays an important
role in helping to confront this condition. The poet can lift up and comfort.
Our sister [poet]
Michelle T. Clinton claims that "the power of the word opens a door
that can embrace and heal fragmentation. The power of the poem is the power
capable of transforming the individual and communities." The role of
the poet, says Michele, is to "transform despair into care, and to
change communities of caring into collective groups for survival, wholeness
and political action. In a deeply spiritual way, language cares, the word
can change us, poems can connect us to our truest selves and our most essential
community of humanity."
To represent the
feelings of another, instead of just saying what you feel, takes discipline
and love. The role of the poet is not an easy role, which is perhaps another
reason poetry frightens some people. Many of us make a career of avoiding
pain and running from decisions. We use entertainment. Mind melting. Spectatorism.
The role of the poet is to struggle so that each of us is prepared to confront
problems and difficulties. The poet performs the role of healer and problem-solver.
The Costa Rican poet Mayra Jimenez says the role of the poet is to "take
responsibility for each other." To do this, the poet in each of us
must not only be unselfish, but must also pursue excellence. in order to
take care of others with the word. A poet "must stand out, taking on
the leadership role in every task you accomplish." One can and ought
to be a poet and a good student. A poet and an exemplary worker. There is
no contradiction between the role of a poet and the role of a community
servant.
Poets also perfect
the role of being good listeners. The poet in you hungers for kindred real
voices which articulate ideas and experiences different from your own voice.
The ideal poet seeks out and promotes diverse voices for the beauty and
devotion to the acts of speaking and listening, which ought to be the first
and last purpose to every social encounter.
I am affiliated with what are called leadership-poetry
workshops, and Phoebe asked me to say a few words about them.
Leadership-poetry
workshops acknowledge the poet in each of us. They are based on a factory
model. That is, a team of individuals follow consistent procedures, exercises,
and drills which produce words and lines.
A leadership-poetry
workshop is divided into two distinct activities. One is mostly self-centered.
It involves reading a good poem, picking out the music of the poem, a free
writing exercise, and a writing assignment. The second activity is mostly
other-centered. It involves listening well enough and caring hard enough
to evaluate and criticize one another. This act of developing positive criticism
promotes community, collectivity and leadership. All poets, as well as all
leaders, in all cultures, are and will be measured by three basic criteria:
did you follow your assignment, did your presentation match the moment,
and did your content serve the truth. The leadership-poetry workshops promote
self respect and respect for others, as they develop discipline and community
building.
In closing, permit
me to say, that throughout the nations of the world today's poets are very
fortunate. The poet in you has the real chance to make a difference. You
are and will be confronted daily by adversaries, by setbacks, problems and
pains, and you will be offered the opportunity to speak. Be thankful. Be
gracious and humble. Remember those who gave their lives, and those who
have gone before. Always recognize those who are part of your being: your
family, friends, community, coworkers, colleagues, buddies, critics, lovers,
detractors and others who have left their mark. While the poet in you has
a moment of power, it ought not be used for lies nor division. Use language
to bring harmony. Utilize the word for life and love, and in this way, speak
for the vast majority of us who live with faith and hope.
© The Raven Chronicles 1997