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A Jane Hirshfield Poem

No doubt someone has shared this poem on Poetry Friday before; it's such a good one. I'm still working on my own poems, made of words from headlines in the New York Times. Right now they are coming out really angry, and whether that speaks to the zeitgeist, my own frame of mind, or both, I couldn't tell you! I'm trying to get at my own form but haven't yet arrived. I did realize that unlike headline writers, I wasn't limited by space constrictions, so that let me cut out and paste in some "a"s, "the"s "and"s, and so on. 

I like the repetitions, word choices, and arrangement of white space in this Hirshfield  poem. She has found her own form, and I'm reminded how important it is to read mentor works. That "we" in "Let Them Not Say" keeps us readers on the hook.

The Poetry Friday roundup for February 7th is at Carol Varsalona's Beyond Literacy Link.

Thanks to the Academy of American Poets for its Instagram account, where I found "Let Them Not Say."

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  1. Carol Varsalona Avatar
    Carol Varsalona

    Susan, you chose the right poem for us to read during these times. You are right about the white space. That and the title make for a powerful poem. This is the first time that I read this poem so thank you for sharing it.

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  2. Denise Krebs Avatar
    Denise Krebs

    Susan, all the best with your NYT Headlines poems. You will find your form. My poems seem one dimensional these days. This is my first time reading the Hirschfield poem too, and I like that the “we” keeps us on the hook. So powerful.

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  3. Rose Cappelli Avatar
    Rose Cappelli

    Thanks for sharing this powerful poem by Jane Hirschfield. I just heard her read a few poems at an online gathering. She is inspirational.

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  4. Janice Scully Avatar
    Janice Scully

    Gorgeous and moving poem. Thanks for sharing it. The poems you are writing sound interesting but I understand it might take a while to get them right.

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  5. Linda Baie Avatar
    Linda Baie

    The Hirschfield poem reminds us that there have been other times when people fought back, and history shows they persisted and won. I feel comforted that so many are stepping up and speaking out to save our country. Thanks, Jane!

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  6. Susan T. Avatar
    Susan T.

    Hey, everyone. Thank you so much for stopping by and reading. Poetry Friday is cheering me up, starting with Carol’s festive Valentine-themed roundup. Rose has given me the idea of looking for videos of Hirshfield reading her work.

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  7. Carol Varsalona Avatar
    Carol Varsalona

    Susan, if you have a heartnote/love poem for posting at my Padlet, I would love sharing your work.-Carol Varsalona

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  8. Karen Edmisten Avatar
    Karen Edmisten

    Oh, Susan, I love Hirshfield and this one is perfect for what we are living in/through right now. I understand the anger (so very, very well.)

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  9. Margaret Simon Avatar
    Margaret Simon

    Thanks for sharing this poem. Jane Hirshfield is brilliant and very clear in this poem. We do see. I can’t look at the news. I’m proud of you for trying to look.

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  10. Susan T. Avatar
    Susan T.

    Carol, you are so kind to mention this! Surely I have something around here that I can share.
    Karen and Margaret, isn’t this Hirshfield so good! I really need to read more of her work. Margaret, I may have to change my focus to the Arts section of the Times. This Sunday front section is a challenge, even if I’m just picking and choosing words!

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  11. Cathy Avatar
    Cathy

    Thank you for this post, Susan. I really love the repetition that allows me to really meditate on her words. So much food for thought on this Poetry Friday. You will find your voice for what you feel and we look forward to hearing it.

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  12. Susan T. Avatar
    Susan T.

    Thank you for those encouraging words, Cathy! I appreciate it.

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  13. Sarah Grace Tuttle Avatar
    Sarah Grace Tuttle

    This poem is fabulous– thank you for sharing it. And yes– we do hear and see and witness. And we ARE resisting and fighting, and we will continue to do so.

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  14. Susan T. Avatar
    Susan T.

    You’re so welcome. There’s lots of important resistance going on right now, thank goodness!

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  15. Molly Hogan Avatar
    Molly Hogan

    We are all on the hook, and I feel that so keenly these days, yet am unsure how to translate that feeling into effective action. Perhaps I need to move toward the anger and fear rather than trying to shut it out. Thank you for sharing this poem, which is new to me. I’m looking forward to seeing Jane Hirshfield in May.

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  16. Susan T. Avatar
    Susan T.

    Molly, it’s really hard to figure out what is most effective these days. Thank goodness for the courts is my current thought. How lucky to see Jane H. this spring! Will she be in Maine?

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  17. Irene Latham Avatar
    Irene Latham

    Susan, “kerosene beauty” sticks out to me upon this reading. Thank you!

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  18. Marcie Flinchum Atkins Avatar
    Marcie Flinchum Atkins

    Thank you for sharing this Hirshfield poem! I did a free webinar with her last week and it was really wonderful to learn from her.

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  19. Susan T. Avatar
    Susan T.

    Irene, yeah, that’s a good one, isn’t it?
    Marcie, you’re welcome. That’s wonderful that you got to see JH in a webinar. I’m going to look for more opportunities like that.

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  20. Laura Purdie Salas Avatar
    Laura Purdie Salas

    Wow, thank you for this, Susan. I feel stuck in the molasses of trying to figure out what to do, to be.

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  21. Susan T. Avatar
    Susan T.

    Same, Laura, same. You’re so welcome for the poem! Thank you for stopping by.

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  22. Catherine Flynn Avatar
    Catherine Flynn

    A powerful poem for our times. Thank you for sharing it today.

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  23. Mary Lee Hahn Avatar
    Mary Lee Hahn

    I love this poem. I need to print it out and keep it by my desk with “Instructions on Not Giving Up” (Limon), “Any Common Desolation” (Bass), and “The Thing Is” (Bass).
    We must NEVER let ourselves off the hook.

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  24. Susan T. Avatar
    Susan T.

    You’re so welcome, Catherine. It is indeed powerful.
    Mary Lee, oooh, this sounds like an excellent collection. I’m going to go look for the others. Yay. Thank you.

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  25. Jane Avatar
    Jane

    I absolutely agree on the importance of reading mentor texts – I’ve made it a point to always include them in my library writing programs, because there’s so much knowledge and inspiration to be gained from reading often and widely!

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  26. Susan T. Avatar
    Susan T.

    So much to learn from and appreciate in mentor books, yes!

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