 |
| Adrienne Rich 1929-2012 |
Adrienne Rich died in her home in Santa Cruz this past Tuesday at the age of 82. It seems we just finished spending quality
time with her as we read her ghazals
in homage to Ghalib. She changed the way we read and write poetry. She also changed the world with her poetry. Here is one of my favorite poems by her; feel free to share yours.
What Kind of Times Are These
 |
| Talk About Trees by Anannya Dasgupta |
There's a place between two stands of trees where the grass grows uphill
and the old revolutionary road breaks off into shadows
near a meeting-house abandoned by the persecuted
who disappeared into those shadows.
I've walked there picking mushrooms at the edge of dread, but don't be fooled
this isn't a Russian poem, this is not somewhere else but here,
our country moving closer to its own truth and dread,
its own ways of making people disappear.
I won't tell you where the place is, the dark mesh of the woods
meeting the unmarked strip of light—
ghost-ridden crossroads, leafmold paradise:
I know already who wants to buy it, sell it, make it disappear.
And I won't tell you where it is, so why do I tell you
anything? Because you still listen, because in times like these
to have you listen at all, it's necessary
to talk about trees.
Here is a video of Rich reading out this poem:
I'm very surprised that I didn't read anything about the death of Adrienne Rich. I first came across her work in my introductory Women's and Gender Studies class and was very impressed by what she had to say in her essays; I also enjoyed her ghazals when we studied them in this class. I may be double-majoring in Women's and Gender Studies and Rich seems to be a major key player in the modern-day feminist movement, and I look forward to reading more of her essays and poetry when I have the time. It's a shame that she is no longer alive, she left a huge legacy behind.
ReplyDelete