Thank you to everyone who attended our first Zoom gathering – riddled with my technical incompetence as it was! Our theme was Ancestors, and as always, the poems provided many different entry points into this big conversation. The Polish poet, Wislawa Symborska explored inherited stories in a photo album. Through Ross Gay, we talked about ancestry as a continuation and handing down of life lessons, however small. Kim Moore explored real and imagined identity. Joy Harjo’s incantatory Remember, reminded us that we are from a lineage of people, earth and language, and in Perhaps the World Ends Here, she places the kitchen table at the centre of our lives. Rebecca Elson takes us back to a time when we were unconstrained by form. We were dazzled by a beautiful recital of Ruth Moore’s Little River, Lighted Whistle.
Thank you to those brave and generous friends who shared their own writing today!
We discussed next week’s theme: Finding Your Way. Bring along poems to read, and if you feel inspired, write a poem based on that prompt.
A list of the poems we read
I’ve added some links where I could to the poems, poets or books if you would like to explore.
Ode to Drinking Water from My Hands by Ross Gay from Catalog of Unabashed Gratitude
Family Album by Wislawa Szymborska
Back from the Cannery by Kirmen Uribe
Remember and Perhaps the World Ends Here by Joy Harjo from Conflict Resolution for Holy Beings
Little River, Lighted Whistle by Ruth Moore
My People by Kim Moore from The Art of Falling
Antidotes to Fear of Death by Rebecca Elson
Poetry reading & writing prompt for next week
Prompt/Theme: “Finding Your Way”
When we meet again on December 7th, bring along poems around the theme of Finding Your Way. There is no obligation to write, but if you feel inspired, you are welcome to bring your poem to share at the next gathering.