Poetry Friday: Writing about Difficult Subjects

What is the job of a poet? Let's look at the darker side of this issue for this week's Poetry Friday post.

Many years ago, I participated in a group reading event with poet Lucille Clifton. At the time, the self-help book and movie The Secret was in its heyday. I'm over-simplifying when I say that The Secret advises reader/viewers not to see the things they don't want to "attract" to themselves.

If you want to be thin, the film says, don't focus on people who are overweight or think too much about how rich foods make you fat. If the evening news makes you worry about violence, choose not to watch it, or you might be attracting that violence into your own life.

"The Law of Attraction" says thinking acts like a magnet.
Negative thoughts attract negativity into our lives.
Positive thoughts bring us good things.

Clifton addressed this issue at the reading. She said that poets should not look away from what's uncomfortable or upsetting. It is our job, she advised, to bear witness to life and events that are difficult. If we don't talk about them, who will? In doing so, we poets set the stage for change -- or, at least, for conversation.

Poet Jacqueline Jules (Zapato Power) recently contacted me. I'll explain the connection in a second.

Jacqueline is an accomplished children's author. You'll find her list of over a dozen books at her website. But Jacqueline also writes poetry for adults. She had a poem published at the online literary journal rkvry quarterly. The theme of the current issue is sexuality. Jacqueline's poem addresses the difficult subject of childhood sexual abuse.

Jacqueline invited me to interview her regarding that poem. Such interviews are a special feature at rkvry. I like the way these discussions between poet and guest interviewer provide additional insights into the poem and continues the conversation between poet and reader. You can check out my conversation with Jacqueline at rkvry.

Her poem is titled "The Stick in the Big Boy's Hand."

The Stick in the Big Boy's Hand
by Jacqueline Jules

I saw my little sister go next door
with the neighbor boy.
White sandals on her small feet,
short pink socks with frilly lace cuffs,
and blue flowered shorts
matching a cotton button-down shirt.
Mama always dressed us nice, even to play outside
on a slick June morning, two days into summer vacation.

Wet blades squeaked beneath my shoes
as I followed up the hill. Reaching the crest,
I thought, at first, she’d slipped,
seeing her prone in the dew,
her cheek pressed into the long grass

Read the rest of the poem at rkvry quarterly.

And here is a poem dealing with childhood sexual abuse is by Lucille Clifton.

What Did She Know, When Did She Know It

by Lucille Clifton

in the evenings
what it was the soft tap tap
into the room the cold curve
of the sheet arced off
the fingers sliding in
and the hard clench against the wall
before and after
all the cold air cold edges
why the little girl never smiled

The poem is unpublished online. You can read the entire poem in Clifton's book, The Terrible Stories.

1996 National Book Award nominee

Oprah Winfrey's website has an excellent list of resources for victims of sexual abuse, including children.

Questions for you. readers: What is the darkest or most personal subject you have felt brave enough to tackle in a poem? What do you think makes these two poems work, despite the troubling subject matter?

This week's Poetry Friday blog roll is at Semicolon. See you over there for more great poetry links.