Poetry Friday–Jane Yolen and Response

Dusky throated antshrike and Mouth Leaves, © 2020 Michelle Kogan, WIP, Watercolor and watercolor pencil.

Happy Poetry Friday!

On Monday I read Jane Yolen’s heart-wrenching poem, Plowing Under. The poem reminded me of a few articles I  just read about long car lines waiting for food at food pantries, and how farmers are having to plow under food due to restaurants and schools being closed. My post this week addresses these dilemmas created and exacerbated by our invisible Coronavirus. I’m first sharing Jane Yolen’s poem, which she graciously allowed me to share, and then my own response.

 

PLOWING UNDER
 
American farmers, unable to sell
their green beans to closed restaurants,
with no help from the government,
were left to plow them under,
as the politicians forgot
the poor in their small houses,
virus-ridden rest homes,
shops with empty shelves.
In this same week, the Resurrection
of a young rabbi is celebrated
who said, among other things,
clothe the poor, feed the hungry,
treat your neighbor as yourself,
and was killed for his insurrection.
There are no metaphors or rhymes
tough enough for me to recount
the horror of that article, that photo,
in simple black and white.
So I write a poem, as stark, as bare
as the shelves, as our hearts,
those same hearts that once
grew daffodils and now hold stones.

©2020 Jane Yolen all rights reserved

 

For my response I wanted to pull in a bird, as I’ve been focusing on poems with birds this month. I learned about the dusky-throated antshrike, and that it helps other birds, acting as a “Sentinel” calling out to others, and alerting them to imminent danger.

STABILITY VIA SENTINELS

Coronavirus injustice runs rampant–
invisibility infiltrates all classes,
especially our poor and hungry

Coronavirus injustice runs rampant–
Food pantries cry: Feed our hungry,
while farmers plow under rotten produce
originally destined for schools and restaurants

Coronavirus injustice runs rampant–
People cry: Feed us,
while hungry cars wait in mile long food lines
only to leave empty handed

Coronavirus injustice runs rampant–
Food pantry volunteers cry: We’re afraid
while those same volunteers who helped
feed our hungry recoil to their homes

Coronavirus injustice runs rampant–
U.S. president rants: Open my economy
while his advisors advise focus on our virus
and death rates soar higher

Coronavirus injustice runs rampant–
And, humans need to help each other…
There’s a bird that helps other birds,
Amazon’s “Sentinel” bird–
The dusky-throated antshrike,
they perch themselves in their rainforest’s middle layer,
they call out to all diverse neighboring bird species
above and below, alerting them to danger
they help other birds,
they influence other actions
they create stability

Seems we could take some queues from the antshrike…
Seems we could get our hungry fed, and reroute farmer’s food,
seems we could create some stability and correct
some of our coronavirus injustice

© 2020 Michelle Kogan

 

Molly Hogan at her blog Nix the Comfort Zone has a delectable post this week for hosting our Poetry Friday Roundup. She’s drawing all the poets in with irresistible aromas of fresh baked bread and poems. Thanks for hosting Molly and your delicious post too!

Visit Renée LaTulippe’s site No Water River to find out more about what Poetry Friday is.