What Poem Do We Need Right Now?
I need your help on this one
This year has put us and our society to the test, regardless of our allegiances (political or otherwise). Culturally, we tend to demonize or distract with mockery and memes.
With so much unrest and difficulty happening around the world, I have a question: What poem do we need right now?
It’s a simple question. It’s an honest question. And I’m genuinely asking you.
Many would argue that we don’t need art at a time like this. This looks like a time for pragmatism or political strategy. I don’t deny that as a necessary piece of the puzzle. We also need to go deeper than utility. We need transformation.
Here is a helpful word from Makoto Fujimura:
Art is ultimately not ‘useful.’ It serves no practical function. This is why it is indispensable, especially in the modern age. . . . We provide arts education so that we can have better teachers, doctors, engineers, mothers, and fathers. Arts are not a luxury but a path to educate the whole individual toward thriving.”1
Help me to thrive by answering: What poem do we need right now?
Please leave a comment with the poem or a link to it. It can be classic, modern, yours or someone else’s. Let it speak to us.
Here’s my attempt.
Peace2
Henry Vaughan (1621–1695)
My Soul, there is a country Afar beyond the stars, Where stands a winged sentry All skillful in the wars; There, above noise and danger Sweet Peace sits, crown’d with smiles, And One born in a manger Commands the beauteous files. He is thy gracious friend And (O my Soul awake!) Did in pure love descend, To die here for thy sake. If thou canst get but thither, There grows the flow’r of peace, The rose that cannot wither, Thy fortress, and thy ease. Leave then thy foolish ranges, For none can thee secure, But One, who never changes, Thy God, thy life, thy cure.
It’s your turn!
Makoto Fujimura. 2017. Culture Care: Reconnecting with Beauty for Our Common Life. Downers Grove, Illinois: IVP Books.
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/45429/peace-56d2250b10901