[stylist] Black History month- A poem

[Bridgit Pollpeter]

I like the simplicity of this poem and how it draws you in. There's so
much beauty in simplicity and yet simplicity can be very powerful. It
also has a relatability factor. It's not just speaking to one race, one
culture, one gender.

What type of a poem is this? Poetry is not my forte, and perhaps you can
also let us know what form a particular poem is when posting it.

Sincerely,
Bridgit Kuenning-Pollpeter, editor, Slate & Style
Read my blog at:
http://blogs.livewellnebraska.com/author/bpollpeter/
 
"If we discover a desire within us that nothing in this world can
satisfy, we should begin to wonder if perhaps we were created for
another world."
C. S. Lewis

Message: 7
Date: Fri, 1 Feb 2013 09:21:47 -0500
From: "Lynda Lambert" <llambert at zoominternet.net>
To: "Writer's Division Mailing List" <stylist at nfbnet.org>
Subject: Re: [stylist] Black History Month - a Poem
Message-ID: <1043F6E4622C4358B6D9DDAC292C1758 at Lambert>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

February is Black History Month. . .

 I was initially scheduled to do a lesson on the poetry of African
Americans in December. I have been struggling with health issues, and
been recovering from surgery since the beginning of January. Therefore,
I thought I would bring you some poems of African American poets during
February. I will post some poems by different black poets from time to
time during this month. I think you will really enjoy meeting some poets
you may not be familiar with, and maybe revisit some you already know.

 

This morning I would like to introduce you to Gwendolyn Brooks. She was
born in Topeka, Kansas  (1917) but grew up in Chicago, Illinois. She is
generally considered an Illinois poet. In her earlier years, prior to
1967,  she focused on depicting the characters of her race, to bring
them to life on the page.  The local people of her neighborhood were the
subject of her poems. She passed away on December 3, 2000.

 

I had the privilege of attending a writing workshop for poetry one
afternoon at Slippery Rock University of PA. Gwendolyn was the poet in
residence that day and budding poets could read a poem for her and she
would respond to it. She was so gentle and kind, and encouraging to the
young students who read for her.  When one of them said, with
hesitation, that she had self published a chap book of her work.  Brooks
looked at her and said, "You do not need to feel apologetic about
publishing your own book. It is a book after all. You wrote a book. You
have a published book. That is something to be proud of."

 

In 1967 Gwendolyn Brooks'  work changed after she took a workshop at
Fisk University and met other black poets, such as Amiri Baraka. She had
a "New Awakening" through this experience. I have always been aware that
an encounter with one person can change your life forever, and this was
certainly true for Brooks.

 

Brooks' first book was published in 1945. She won a Pulitzer Prize; and
was Poet Laureate of Illinois. She succeeded Carl Sandburg in that
position.  

 

I am posting a link so you can hear her read her poem, "A Song in the
Front Yard."  It is from 1963, one of the earlier poems where she
describes what she sees and thinks about the people in her neighborhood.

 

As you listen or read this poem you can think about the carefully chosen
words. This poem is full of symbols - you might try to identify some of
them and then think about what she is conveying to the reader through
the symbolism. Her symbols begin before you even start reading the
poem..look at the title of it. Begin there.

 

 Listen  to Brooks read her poem "A Song in the Front Yard" here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oWA6V3OaoR8



You can read the text copy of this poem by opening up the attachment.
Enjoy!