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| buchananwbc.org |
Whitney Hanson (https://www.whitneyhansonpoetry.com/) is a young poet who has caught my interest. She shares primarily on TikTok and that’s why I didn’t know of her until I caught up with her on Meta. Hanson offers poems that begin with, “in poetry we say…” In these poems, Hanson takes a common phrase we know in English and translates it poetically.
Here's my response; my post is brief while I go consider what might be the benefits of becoming a TikTok poet...
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| DC's May Day Rally & March |
Thanks to Mary Lee Hahn @ A(nother) Year of Reading for taking over hosting duties for our friend Molly, who had an emergency, and you'll find more poetic translations here:
Catherine Flynn @ Reading to the Core
Linda Mitchell @ A Word Edgewise
Margaret Simon @ Reflections on the Teche
*P.S. I just love the triple conglomeration of metaphor in "May Day." Who knew?
M'aidez! Nice flag, and your "We the People" photo goes so well with your poem. Yes, let's unite on the side of love!
ReplyDeleteHeidi, this is brilliant. This poem's focus on how forming a more perfect union is messy and that poetry is fond of suggestion. What great personification. "and from here it looks to poetry," what a great line. Thank you for how you responded to this prompt. Last night as I was tapping away on my keyboard I realized it wasn't an easy prompt at all!
ReplyDeleteI absolutely endorse the idea that you become a TikTok poet. I want to hear this poem performed! It begs to be read through a megaphone at a rally!
ReplyDeletePowerful poem and I love the contrasts, rhythm, and sounds in your last stanza—and bit of hope! Thanks for your poem and for being there too!
ReplyDeleteLove this (especially the last line).
ReplyDelete"Yes, we can. We, all of the people!" Hope in the face of despair - so needed.
ReplyDeleteI love the casual tone that feels as if thoughts are being worked out in the process of writing. I love the concept of "obviously imperfect" people doing their best to reach the "ideal of inherent equality" and how timely and relevant that concept is. I love the hopeful "can we pull it off? let's give it a go." Yes, let's!
ReplyDelete"aimed at shaping a large enough love"--oh! So many surprising lines that somehow feel surreal and sensible at the same time...
ReplyDeletePowerful, Heidi - wonderful. Love the modern colloquial take on the (God-please-help-them-remain-timeless) 18th Century words. xo
ReplyDelete"We, all of the people" - we won't go back to a time when only some people were considered worthy of having their voices, when only some people were considered to be created equal! Shout it from the rooftops!
ReplyDeleteSo many powerful lines in this poem! So many wonderful images! I've read it a couple of times now and take a bit more away each time. I love how you've woven together the strands of our country's history and our present day mess and the love of poetry to create a magnificent tapestry of words. Fabulous!
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