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

[Anny Ballardini]

Re: [New-Poetry] Thought for the day after the electionsIt is all so much more complicated. White male British, from Wales, northern California, back and front yard. Father committed suicide when he was a kid, a twin brother. Problems with esophagus, surgery almost 60 years ago, a mess. Health problems. Wonderful career, made redundant, well-educated, good manners, physically attractive, health problems, back and front yard, expert in many things, little occasional jobs, open-minded, health problems.

This is one of the myriad.

50, in the north of the States, extremely well educated, poet, writer, translator, ex-editor, stomach tumor, only son, father terminal for years, hasn't moved from his bed, mother sort of mad, sick, back and front yard, no ducks, unpaid social work, tumor, no insurance, parents sick.

...

  From: Elaine Brown 
  Sent: Wednesday, November 15, 2006 3:16 AM


  What she said.


  On 11/10/06 9:11 AM, "Suzanne Burns" <queenmouse at gmail.com> wrote:


    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



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