In this episode, host, Aaron Tyler Hand sits down for a conversation acclaimed poet Naomi Shihab Nye on her front porch in San Antonio, Texas. They talk about the power of poetry to process the loss of a loved one, as well as read and discuss the poetry of incarcerated folks.
Naomi Shihab Nye
When you write, you can listen to those things in the back of your mind, wanting a place to be, wanting a place to gather.
Poems:
She Still Here
Can you not feel the intense presence of her touch
It is soft and gentle such like a baby hand
The unseen presence you will never understand
Whisper that Blows
The whispering of the unseen is like the wind that blows
It shivers my body while I listen to its tone
Can you not see the beauty in her heart
Pure and kind with great wisdom
See Me
Blue eyes, soft smile
Messy hair, freckled nose
I speak but no one listens
I hear. Examine. Observe.
They never know how I see
A world they overlook, from
A boy they mistook
Lover of life with a broken heart
Dreamer all the while
Element
When you blow I hear your voice In your direction you give no choice
On hot and humid days you make us rejoice
The ships on the water you push around like toys
To you there is no end
With your strength you make trees bend
On the days with fog you are my best friend
To the things that fly your hand you lend
When you’re angry you rip and rend
There is no other like you because you are the wind
12 Building Program Dorm
Door pops and you hear a clicking sound
Walk in and you look around
You notice vending machines and two tiers
Close by the door an officer sits near
Walk in and feel the calmness put your mind to rest
It's not like other units this dorm is the best
Posters on the walls of healthy living and all
Great peers and people of all
Take a look this an Anger Meter
My name is mine I’m a peer leader
Welcome to the dorm are you here to program
Yes I surely am
It’s time to come together and make a change
Divided we fall and together we stand
Thats how we live in this program dorm
Writing Prompts:
Naomi Shihab Nye uses Mall Aquarium, Dubai to talk about the feeling unseen in this world. She sets the poem in an aquarium to help give a sense of confinement to show what is seen and what is unseen. Playing off of this idea, write a poem about what it feels like to be unseen. Like Mall Aquarium, Dubai, use descriptive words that help paint a picture of how the unseen should be seen.
Nye says that Maximum Security was written after her time as a visiting poet at the Maine State Prison. She uses the poem to help humanize incarcerated people to people who are not familiar with the carceral system. Write a poem that helps humanize the people you interact with on a daily basis.
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