The Poetry of Speaking Out
Two Poems of Conscience from Last Monday's Café Muse Literary Salon
Silence Is Not an Option
Perhaps the most important words at last Monday’s Café Muse reading were spoken by Ethelbert Miller, who introduced his poem I Live Outside of Gaza with the observation, “If you’re a writer, you can’t be silent.” With America’s decision to install a far-right authoritarian to lead our nation, nothing could be more relevant.
Not since the era of McCarthyism in the 1950s has the far-right had such a fever grip on the country. Like Trump, Joe McCarthy was a demagogue who used lies and fear to accumulate personal power. If you were an artist, writer or creator, it was bad news. Many artists were blacklisted, lost their livelihoods and were personally destroyed by the demagogue and his followers. A look back at that time reveals a cowed artistic landscape reflecting the fear propagated by McCarthy and his ilk, including Trump’s own mentor, Roy Cohen. One does not have to look too far to see what the arts might look like under a government controlled by Trump—he has given us an ample demonstration of his sensibility.
I do not believe poets make good politicians. Rather, I think the truth component in poetry and all the arts offers a well defined place for matters of conscience. With that said, here’s Ethelbert Miller reading I Live Outside Gaza, last Monday at the Writer’s Center.
For my own reading, I chose a poem from Binary Planet that spoke out against the last Trump administration, 7 Disappearing Words. People may have the befogged idea that they had it better under Trump, but as this poems demonstrates he was already working behind the scenes to ‘blacklist’ language at the bureaucratic level of government. I was not silent then and I will not be silent now. Here’s a reading of the poem.
I invite you to enjoy the entire reading on YouTube.
Relief From Post Election Stress
We are now entering uncharted waters as a nation. There is bound to be stress given the uncertain future of our country and what it will mean to live under single party rule, run by an iron-fisted know-nothing. One thing I’ve found very helpful is listening to the positive meditations of The Book of Singing Eyes. It is ten minutes of hope and aspiration. Things worth seeking which are right before our eyes. You can download or stream the audio reading from this link. See if you don’t feel a lot better after an interlude of Singing Eyes. For more information about The Book of Singing Eyes, check out the website.
Coming Up:
December 2, 2024, 7:00 EST - Café Muse Literary Salon will present both in person at the Writer’s Center in Bethesda Maryland, and online, a reading from the new anthology, From the Belly: Poets Respond to Gertrude Stein’s Tender Buttons Vol. II. Readers include Karren LaLonde Alenier, Holly Bass, Donna Denizé, Majda Gama, Michael Gushue and Susan Okie. Click here to register.
As always, feel free to email me with questions or comments at henrycrawfordpoetry@gmail.com. Stay creative!
If you’d like me to list an upcoming poetry event in Everyday Poet, please let me know by emailing me at henrycrawfordpoetry@gmail.com. Use the subject: “Coming Up”.
As always, very poignant poems. Thank you for sharing these. I did watch the whole reading online. It was wonderful and much needed.