During presentation I was filled with deep sadness for these people who were being abused, and tears filled my eyes for most of the hour. I wrote this poem to show that once we know what atrocities are going on in the world, whether we are directly contributing to them or not, we are responsible, and for this we should feel shame.
Shame is knowing
through action
or not-
the bodies we're reaping
For more information about the "Invisible Children", please visit their site here.
This poem was written in the style of Emily Dickinson.
Thanks for responding to this moving convo in poetry. Your use of Dickinson's succinct form is really powerful here. It gets the reader thinking and coming back again and again. "The bodies we're reaping . . . " You make the poet and the audience part of the "we." How do we "reap" these bodies?
ReplyDeleteThanks for commenting! I wanted to write something that brings the focus of the privileged to the consequences that their existence creates. No matter what we do, we have an effect on the world. We should all be aware of how our actions impact the world, positively or negatively. Sometimes by not doing something, or by doing something that is seemingly harmless, we cause pain and suffering in different parts of the world.
ReplyDeleteI really liked the idea and approach you took here Bobby. I think that it is Dickinson like only there may need to be some kind of context within the poem itself. I just think that if the poem stood alone a good deal of the meaning could be lost. Context seems to be the key in this poem. But really great job, i love the creativity and openness you have.
ReplyDeleteI like the simplicity of the words in the poem that are being used to portray a very complex idea. I really regret missing that convo, you'll have to fill me in more sometime.
ReplyDelete