Armless children zip
Out the cold and flail
In a game of handless tag
Where they are always It.
Hands inside the coats and armpits
They spin, dizzy-dizzy drop,
Slipping without protection from the earth’s
Inevitable onslaught.
With each fall,
The snowy, unadulterated, ground is less pristine than before.
It’s easier to acclimate hands to the cold,
Than the pain of falling
Like a suddenly limp-winged bird.
Interacting with the icy winter world,
Increases the risk losing body—fingers and toes;
These bits may freeze in the fall
In an effort to protect the heart.
Our nature knows that the core of each child
Should be the last
Thing to freeze.
———
I have always thought that poetry can be fairly straightforward and accessible. I thought that if I brought in elements of fun childhood things, such as zipping your hands inside you coat on a winter day, or even pop culture ( I have a poem based upon how much I wanted wolverine’s claws), that I could make poetry appealing to people who normally wouldn’t pay attention to it.
Poetry is music without music, and can bring out valid points and invoke strong emotion and inspiration. I think that if people would read it more, they would find that it is rewarding to unravel what is written. But, a lot of poetry is intentionally obscure, and it turns people off. That kind of pretentiousness about art in general is what makes people think that it is not worth school funding! At least, I kind of think it is :)
