Breathing and Poems For The Rattle’s Ekphrastic Poetry Contest
News Poetry, Poems in Response to the News and Ekphrastic Poetry, Poems in Response to Art.
Life Without Breathing (Rattle Poet’s Respond to News submitted October 22, 2020)
Take a breath and think about who controls your right to breathe at all and breathe clean air. I am hoping it doesn’t ever come to Amy Coney Barret to decide if I have the constitutional right to breathe. I enjoy breathing with my family in Spokane, Washington.
Everyone: without breath there is no life! / life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness / happily, we continue to breathe despite climate change / changes that threaten the water we drink / drink in for a moment the significance of who decides / decisions about the air all of us breathe / breath not protected by the constitution / constitutional rights equally serving a few / few read the constitution literally to say / say what? breathing is not protected? / protect interpretations wisely exercising common sense / sense on life support with the 14th amendment ducking for cover / covers breathing indirectly fueled by a belief in science / science but not the law acknowledging breathing equals life / life, every life includes more rights / rights the founding fathers wrote into one / one document without everything.
Here are poems submitted but disappointed. Not to win to today. The Rattle’s letter said there were 499 entries this month. Still until today I was hoping to win. The Rattle hosts weekly and monthly contests for Ekphrastic poetry or poems written in response to art and Poets Respond for poets writing in response to the news. Here are a selection on ones I have submitted over the years.
Water Pooling Over Fires (Ekphrastic Poem in Response to Art September 15, 2020)
Image at https://www.rattle.com
All I can think is water
as I pack my go bag
a sanctuary pooling in my brain
smoke in my lungs
fires raging
nature’s consuming soldiers
unleashed by mindless party goers
firing on gunpowder
lighting up baby boy blue smoke
sucking up dry kindling
Fear of fire flooding like water
amidst colorful kelp in gentle currents
delicate orange seaworms wave
memories flow to Red Sea scuba diving
where dry dusty desert met blue
indigo stars and moisture merging
blossoming like a prayer upward
toward clouds crammed with rain
mind racing as I throw things in a bag
What will I save
from the swirling flames
leaving only ash in their wake
because I can only take
so much as I flee
Selecting stuff
all I can think is water
cool turquoise icicles
sensation crackling as I dive in
water sliding over parched lips
robust jawline soaked cerulean
plentiful liquid streaming across
the pond just out of reach
at the edge of my mind
Abandon in Kurdish (Poets Respond to News October 10, 2019)
An unfeeling computer translates “abandon”
and I wonder does it feel less painful
in Kurdish
in these three words that mean abandon
“berdan” sounds like burden
as if it is okay to abandon a person
when they are a burden
two other Kurmancî Kurdish words
“dest jê ber dan” and “dev jê berdan”
speak the pain of being abandoned
If I look up “berdan” it means abandon but also
allow, divorce, forsake
leave, quit, relinquish, desert …
and the rhyme pops in my head
a delicious dark chocolate cake dessert
has two “s” because you want more
the hot dry desert has one “s”
because you wouldn’t want to spend too much time there
so it makes sense that another word for forsake
only has one “s”
There are 11 Kurmancî Kurdish words to translate desert
“aran”, “berdan”, “berrî”, “beyaban” “destjêberdan”
“deşit”, “sehra”, “çol”, “çolistan”
“şepal” and “şorezar”
just foreign words until we realize the impact
the human toll words take
or the joy “şahî” in Kurdish Kurmancî
and “aştî” peace they give
“Aran” is interesting because while it means desert
I am not sure which one
in Turkish there are two words
“elem” translated afflict, excruciate, pain, passion and suffering
as if we cause pain and inflame passions when we desert people
and “sancılanmak” translated act, gripe, work
it is a confusing rabbit hole
trying to understand how we abandon people
perhaps we must work harder, gripe stronger and act more honorably
In addition to desert “beyaban” can be translated
quiet place or wasteland
as if we don’t know what we will leave in our wake
as we leave, desert or abandon
our friends, our family, our values
“Destjêberdan” is translated desert
abdication and resignation
as if one should abdicate or resign
before deserting one’s allies
“Şepal” can also be translated
lioness and oddly, attractive and lovely
as if like a lioness fiercely we protect rather than abandon
we see more clearly what is attractive and lovely
about the world around us
and we hear the power of our words
In 1978, as a 20-year-old, I took a language aptitude test. Some of the stories and questions were in Kurdish, probably because the test examiners assumed no one would come into the test knowing Kurdish. I never learned any Kurdish but did very well on the test and was assigned a mission to Japan where I learned Japanese. My father learned Navaho in his 20’s, not too many years after the Navaho code talkers helped win World War II. Recently, on a quest to find the word for peace in six or seven thousand languages, I have been thinking about languages and how words matter and land uniquely for native speakers.
Opposites Meeting (Poet’s Respond to News, February 7, 2019)
Black is not the opposite
of white just as
red is not the opposite
of green
Color emerges
from the black and white
when I stare then look away
beyond the duality
Life is not the opposite
of death just as
green Spring is not the opposite
of brown and white winter
Growth emerges
from a change
when I look into
the shades and edges
Inside is not the opposite
of outside just as
blue sky is not the opposite
of green earth
Music emerges
from the meeting
when trees stand up
to the wind and rain
‘This last weekend I was thinking about duality and opposites. My brother, who is perhaps as far to the right politically as I am to the left, came for a visit. I am sometimes surprised by how well we get along. It never feels like we are polar opposites. We just look at life in very different ways but there is so much love and respect that our differences don’t matter in the day to day. Sunday, April 7, 2015 Chuck Todd on Meet the Press said, ‘There is a truism in American politics that has enormous implications for the 2020 presidential race. When we elect new presidents, they are in many ways the polar opposites of the outgoing president.’ Then he posed the question, ‘Which Democrat, if any, seems best positioned to be that polar opposite of President Trump?’
Named and Baptized Mormon Children (Poets Respond to News April 6, 2019).
Mormon children in the news today
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
children of same-sex couples allowed baptism
remarkable reversal of church policy
from a bulwark against gay rights
We are not talking about my children
although we could be
if I had married and borne children
when I returned from a Mormon mission in Japan
or graduated from Brigham Young University
but we are not talking about these dearly loved children
step-children to an ex-Mormon lesbian
my wife a Rabbi our children growing up Jewish
We are probably not talking about children
with only gay parents even if they were born LDS
and saddened by the 2015 rule that ripped apart congregations
declaring members in same-sex marriages apostates
saying children who spent any time in homes of same-sex couples
banned from baptisms and naming as babies
Now this signals change
perhaps from God
perhaps they see the children we are talking about
are those whose parents have separated
one is gay and one a straight and faithful member
these children no longer have to chose
which parent to love which one to avoid
children now named and baptized
set free to continue to navigate the hate
Mormon Church to Allow Children of L.G.B.T. Parents to Be Baptized
LDS Double Speak?
In a small semantic policy change
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
under its president Russell M. Nelson
said today “while we still consider such a marriage
[a gay marriage]
to be a serious transgression
it will not be treated as apostasy”
“instead the immoral conduct in heterosexual
or homosexual relationships
will be treated in the same way”
Does this seriously mean
your heterosexual marriage is an eternal blessing
and my homosexual marriage a serious transgression
can we start there?
then treat each equally because
“we want to reduce the hate
and contention so common today”
Mormon Church to Allow Children of L.G.B.T. Parents to Be Baptized
When I look at the Mormon church today, I no longer see the church of my childhood that was warm, friendly and inspired dedication. I grew up Mormon, served a mission for the church in Japan, and graduated from Brigham Young University. I left the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) after I came out as a lesbian and didn’t participate in any organized religious community for a lot of years until I had a Jewish girlfriend. The music and warm fellowship drew me to Temple. I converted to Judaism, married the love of my life, Rabbi Elizabeth Goldstein. We are raising her four children (two sets of twins age 10 and 12). I wrote a book of poetry about my coming out process, Live Like Someone Left The Gate Open.
The Korean War Is Not Over — Not Officially (Poets Respond February 26, 2019 News)
The Chinese say “he’ping” peace written 和平
while the Koreans write 평화
and say peace “hwapyong” or “hwapyeong”평 like the Chinese character 平
means flat or whole
peace like a flat calm lake
or an easy road
화 like the Chinese character 和 means harmonize
but what really does peace mean in KoreaCan President Trump and Kim Jong Un end the Korean War
with a peace declaration
does not make a peace treaty
do China and other parties have a say
in 1953 an armistice signed
and fire ceased but no diplomatic treaty followed
ending the conflict officially
attempts were made in Geneva
North Korea, the United States and South Korea could not agree
and so for 65 years a cease-fire standsWill they declare peace
simply a statement ending hostile relations
between belligerent parties
political nonbinding and symbolic
creating goodwill between only two
North Korea and the United States
leaving open questions
should Americans withdraw from South Korea
without a multilateral peace treaty
a legal and formal end to the Korean War
with options available if someone doesn’t comply
Climate Change Driven Competition on Lake Turkana (Poets Respond Feb 22, 2019 News)
“Amani” means peace
security and safety in Swahili
but at Lake Turkana
there is no “amani”
no “akimaima” to soothe or appease
to pacify in the local language of Turkana
to cause to calm down
but how do we calm down climate change
and droughts that kills the cattle
I must seek out alternatives
even illegal ones to withstand the conflict
between the newcomers and those here first
I have no choice
I must feed my family here in northern Kenya
where rivalries brew between Kenyan tribes and Ethiopian fisherfolk
everywhere is the other side of the my lake
where peace is called “selami” in Amharic
but there is no “selami” here at the border
between two African nations
and land disputes a major driver
in 27 of 30 civil conflicts
since I was born 30 years ago
Written in response to a rise in climate change driven conflicts.
Supreme Court Freedom of Religion (Poets Respond to News)
Freedom of religion for the few
or the many
Religious freedom for the majority
or the powerful
Freedom of religion for the black
or the white
Religious freedom for the rich
or the poor
Is no freedom at all
Only religious freedom for all
Is freedom of religion at all
As all come to belief
in a rainbow of colors
shapes and sizes
Belief in life as in death
created from a multitude of experiences
there is no squeezing all into one
Preferring One Religion Over Another (Poet’s Respond to News)
I prefer one religion over another
in America I can choose where and whether I go
to services and how I practice
my belief and connection to the universe
I prefer to do it my way
I am free to roam the streets
to drive to a synagogue
or a temple or a church
for whatever events I want
I am not always safe
the streets and neighborhoods where I go
are sometimes filled with hate
against me because of how I chose to see
the universe here in America
I am free nonetheless
I do not sit on death row in Alabama
or in a woman’s womb
wrapped in my freedom I wonder
why everyone doesn’t have the right
freedom to practice as we wish
letting other’s do the same
Alabama’s 86 Percent (Poet’s Respond to News)
God forbid that you find yourself
on death row in Alabama
a Muslim, a Jew or a Buddhist
because you are the one percent
your religious aspiration don’t matter
says the Supreme Court
giving instead preferential treatment
to your Christian neighbors
Written in response to the Supreme Court ruling against freedom of religion for all when they ruled that a death row inmate in Alabama only has the right to have a Christian minister present regardless of the inmate’s religious affiliation. This impacts Muslims, Jews, Buddhists, Shintoists, Sikhs, Jainist, Animists, Panentheist, Rastafarians, Deists, Daoists, Hindus, adherants of the Baha’i Faith, Native American religions, Wicca, Druidry, as well as atheist, agnostics and humanists and all the other non-Christian religions in America.
In Response to the article: Justices Allow Execution of Muslim Death Row Inmate Who Sought Imam By Adam Liptak Feb. 7, 2019 New York Times.
Pull of the Moon (Ekphrastic Poetry in Response to Art)
Image at https://www.rattle.com
Moon light reflected
outwardly pulls on tiny waves
inwardly draws me towards home
like a group of women
beaching a boat
hearts open to the share experiences
pushing and pulling
each with her own
insecurities wondering
how the light is seen
reflecting her soul
wanting to be there for her friends
but not always in control
of the light
Submitted to The Rattle Ekphrastic Poetry Contest, November, 2015
