The Power of the Poet

Hello friends,

There’s a lot of heartbreak in the world. Every day brings news of more dead, or another person in trouble. We must find ways to act in this world that assuage this pain and grief. We must continue to help each other.

And if we are safe… we must also remember the beauty of this glorious world, even as it seems to gasp for breath around us. We take solace in the height of trees, the sound of water, a baby’s cry, a snatch of music, the sharp scent of balsam, or the drift of desert sand.

And if we are safe… we must remember that there is poetry in the world as well as violence. Poets have always been important in human culture. They weave the world anew with words of love and joy, of pain and anger. They speak truth to power. And too often, as we know, the poets themselves are killed by regimes that wish to keep the people silent.

I have shelves of poetry at home, and have written poems almost since the moment I could write at all. Poetry beats in my blood.

During Black History Month here in the US, I’d like to share a poet dear to my heart, a woman named Ntozake Shange.

Ntozake Shange wrote those words above, in a book of poems I’ve carried since my early 20s, a slender volume called Nappy Edges. I had the honor of meeting her once. She complimented a poem I had written. My whole soul lit up at her presence and her words.

Poetry—like all art—has the ability to carry humanity through any times we can imagine, even those we can barely fathom. A poet helps make sense of the world.

So, I offer a toast to all poets, everywhere. Those who have been shot down, those taken by the bottle or the needle, those who died safe in their beds. And I honor the poets who still live to sing their words another day.

Who are some of your favorite poets? I’d love to read their names.

This week, I encourage you to find a poem and read it aloud. Let’s fill the world with some beauty.

best wishes — Thorn

With the help of my Patreon supporters, I’m re-issuing my old Elemental Castings podcast as a Best Of series. You can listen to the first one on YouTube.