Today people have thousands of articles and the newest headlines at their fingertips. The headlines recently that have consumed the media are heavy—leaving people at a loss for words. But amid the pain and grieving you see words weaved together ever so delicately that remind you, you are not the only one feeling this way.
August 2023 a headline was shared around. Fires tearing down homes in Hawaii, burning down entire towns. Families were immediately evacuated from everything they knew. What do you do when you are watching your identity be burned down? How do you begin to explain that to another? Brian Yapok turned to poetry. He crafted a poem that begins to grieve the loss of this place he loved. Using metaphors and imagery to intentionally illustrate the beauty that was met with pain and loss, the love that lived there will never burn.
A recent headline filled the screen and news everywhere—a mass shooting in Lewiston, Maine at a bowling alley and a local bar. Some were wounded and 18 others passed. Tragically, shootings whether it be a school, place of work, or a shopping center have been headlines spread around more so the past year stating a gunman opened fire and took lives. How does one explain that you sent your child to school and they lost their life? You went to a bowling alley and lost your dad. Is it even possible to make sense of something so horrific? Liz Rosenburg turned to poetry. You may not be able to speak of the disgusting act that has taken place but Rosenberg took a pen and used the ink to make her voice heard. To allow the voices that are too sore to speak. She braids words together to create a song that calls for change. Using shock, imagery, and similes to convey such an appalling and gruesome act that needs to be dealt with.
Poetry is art and the irony is that these poets do something beautiful while the topic is anything but. They illustrate hope can be found in the tragedy of times. They allow hurting people to crawl in between the stanzas and rest. Someone is giving them a voice.
