[New-Poetry] Thought for the day after the elections

[Skip Fox]

Suzanne,

 

A thoughtful post, and one which I agree with to a large extent. Intelligent
and considered. 

 

In fact looking at poetry in this fashion is highly productive, as you
demonstrate.

 

Where I tend to vary is in emphasis. There are many who claim all poetry (or
discourse, or whatever) is political, sexual, economic, psychological, or
deconstructive, etc. I realize these are not mutually exclusive (someone
might see all poetry as part of a sexual politics, etc.), but what I think
is unnecessarily narrowing in the sense that we must see all poetry as a
single thing and loose our ability to realize the multiplicity of vectors,
engagements, intentions, happenstances, etc. that any deep human engagement
entails.

 

The obvious example is someone who sees all human interaction through a
single ideology, say Marxism or Jungiansim.

 

That certainly is not the case here and I don't imply it is. But narrowing
the way in which we might see something, seems to cut us off from the
multiplicity of possibilities, from a full human (including intuitive)
series of responses.

 

Plus, saying something like "all discourse is political" tends to extend the
notion of "political" unusefully.

 

On a side note, another great narrowing I see is the unconsidered notion
that the dialectical is the most important way of thinking. Again, it tends
to ignore the multiple ways thought might interestingly proceed. (It's
surprising to me how many otherwise intelligent people who try to be
original thinkers-or at least not trapped in traditional forms of
thought--never consider this, and will even fight strongly to maintain it.
Intellectual acculturation? Or maybe _I'm_ wrong.)

 

Again, Suzanne, I liked your post very much, I just have a quibble with "the
exclusivity clause," as they say. (Otherwise, your view of how the political
might direct our energies, etc., is interesting to me.)

 

 

 

-----Original Message-----
From: new-poetry-bounces at wiz.cath.vt.edu
[mailto:new-poetry-bounces at wiz.cath.vt.edu] On Behalf Of Suzanne Burns
Sent: Friday, November 10, 2006 8:12 AM
To: NewPoetry: Contemporary Poetry News &amp,Views
Subject: Re: [New-Poetry] Thought for the day after the elections

 

My own thoughts on this subject:

I really think that to say anything at all, to presume that one's thoughts
could possibly be important and worthy of being recorded, to address a
political issue and have an opinion AND/OR to assume the priviledge of
ignoring "politics" and claiming that they have no bearing on your life or
perspective... 

Is. All. Inherently. Political.  I'm sorry if this seems like anything other
than an expansive perspective.  I'll try to explain why.

You see, I have this conversation a lot when the conversation turns to race
or class.  Typically it is individuals who enjoy the highest levels of
privilege who assume that such things really aren't important and not
relevant to their lives, their speech, or the way they go about their day.
That is after all the privilege of being a part of a dominant group-- you
get to brush off such dirty subjects and pretend that they have no bearing
on you.  

You can write a poem about the ducks in your backyard and pretend that your
race/class has nothing whatever to do with the fact that you even have a
backyard.  Pretty, yes.  Enjoy it by all means.  I mean that.  But please
don't pretend that this is not a privilege.  And unless you really believe
that this privilege has some sort of natural basis ( i.e., you believe it is
right and natural that you should have the option of ignoring race, class,
or the war in Iraq because you are white, American and male-- in which case
you and I are going to have words) please don't pretend that it is not
political.  Because it is.  You are there and it is there because of
politics. 

Back to poetry.  I work like a dog at my coporate job which I am grateful to
have, and have to work rather hard to sculpt out that time I need for
writing and reading poetry.  We live in a cultural where the almighty dollar
has a lot of power (and if you are unaware of this, I am likely to conclude
that you probably have a awful lot of dollars-- which buys you the privilege
of not having to think about them) and making time for something which is
never going to produce more dollars is a consciously spiritual, political,
and subversive act.  

Subversive?  Making time for this means unmaking time for something else
that the culture dictates is more important (money, family, civic duties).
So yes, subversive.  Even if I just write about those ducks, that act of
doing is political.  And while I am writing those ducks, I will probably be
conscious of how it is I came about to be sitting in this yard and looking
at such creatures instead of looking at a war zone-- because that is what I
am: someone who knows she isn't too far away from such things.  And if I am
not?  Sorry, willful ignorance, cocooning, putting up even necessary walls
is a political act and persepective. 

I admit I have trouble lsitening to people who insist that there is nothing
political in what they do or say, because that very statement, to me,
reveals a kind of myopia.  Its a little bit like how I have trouble
listening to someone who is white, well-educated, able-bodied and from
Northern California complain about poor and disadvantaged they are because
they don't also have a nice house and a pair of Manolo Blahniks.  Its an
inherently skewed perspective and it shows a profound lack of awareness--
which I admit, and maybe this is my limitation, I cannot respect. 

My two bits for the day,

Suzanne Burns

-- 
"Start with your identity, which is a combination of your assets and what
your friends mean when they discuss 'the trouble with you,' polish that, and
you have style." 

--Quentin Crisp 

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