Activism and Poetry

[alee_grrl]

One of the aspects of poetry that I love is its ability to encourage change. Poetry is in many ways a distilled form of expression. Ideas and emotions are boiled down to their essence and left to steep in the mind of the reader. Words are chosen and placed carefully in hopes that they will resonate with the reader long after the poem has been read. Activists of various stripes have long used poetry to influence and persuade, to illustrate their plight and dream of possible futures. Some great examples of such poets and their works can be found here. I chose one of my more recent poems for today's post. It developed from two thought paths: a general frustration with people who insist that words are not hurtful, and the realization that other's words only really have the power we give them. Sometimes it is necessary to turn understanding and perception on their heads.

Word Ownership

I.

Words: small units of language.
Tiny tools, multifaceted and complex
Strung together, used to concentrate the abstract.
Concentration allows manipulation.

Words have an accepted general meaning-
Amorphous and fluid, affected by time and culture.

Like all tools words have only
The morality given through use.
Vocal scalpels may heal or hurt
Shaped by speaker’s intent and
Listener’s understanding.

II.

You spit the word fat like it leaves a bad taste.
I free the word of venom and spite and endeavor to
Wear my size with grace. I am who I am;
I reclaim the word rather than spit in your face.

You sneer as you call me a geek or a nerd.
I grin and say it with pride.
This is who I am and I’m proud of that fact.
It is you who I pity inside.

So many words to label me, box me and
Cut me down; I will not be quantified.

I own the words I speak,
I own the words I hear.

Say what you will, I’ll hear it as I choose.

Comments

Yes

[jjhunter]

Like all tools words have only
The morality given through use.

Yes - this. Definitely this.

I felt like cheering at the end of this poem: it is fierce and strong, steady and beautiful. Macte, macte (well done).

*would like to say more but is feeling vaguely empty of thinky thoughts today*

Re: Yes

[syntaxofthings]

Seconded - those lines were powerful.

Re: Yes

[(Anonymous)]

Thank you both. Glad to know it had the power I intended. :)

Re: Yes

[alee_grrl]

Just realized I wasn't logged in when I replied with the above. Not used to being on a computer not my own. ;)

Thank you again for the feedback.

Yay!

[ysabetwordsmith]

I agree, activist poetry can be very powerful. I write a fair bit of overt activist poetry, but a more often I just do activism in poetry in more subtle ways like character diversity or plot twists.

In particular, I like to encourage crowdfunding as an activist opportunity. You can pop into any open prompt call and request a poem or other item featuring your favorite cause, and usually get it; or watch for things that suit your tastes and sponsor them. If you do that for a while, you'll usually find a creator(s) whose tastes match your own and then you can really make a blip in the numbers. Feel free to drop by my Poetry Fishbowl and see which monthly themes seem like a good match for your favorite causes. I'm doing "heras and villainesses" on Tuesday, January 3 so anyone into gender studies may have fun with that.

I have an essay on the functions of crowdfunding with a section "What It Does for Activists" with more ideas.

Re: Yay!

[alee_grrl]

Thank you for the link to the essay on crowdfunding. It's not something I've really explored, so the essay was very helpful.

You're welcome!

[ysabetwordsmith]

If you click the "Crowdfunding" tab at the top of that page, it will show you all the other stuff in that category. There are over a dozen how-to posts, lists of crowdfunding hub sites, and all kinds of other supporting materials.

I also recommend crowdfunding where you can see folks talking about what projects they host or support. It's open to poetry, fiction, art, music, whatever people want to crowdfund.

[(Anonymous)]

Love this bit:
Vocal scalpels may heal or hurt
Shaped by speaker’s intent and
Listener’s understanding."

Very visual for an abstract concept.

Quite like the battle cry in the second one too. :-D

~Ria

[alee_grrl]

It was difficult to shift from discussion of abstract thought into battle cry, but necessary for the effect of the poem. That's why it's a two part poem. :) Glad you enjoyed it.