{"id":46,"date":"2014-11-23T19:28:45","date_gmt":"2014-11-23T19:28:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/marilynkallet.com\/MarilynWP\/?page_id=46"},"modified":"2020-03-28T23:17:48","modified_gmt":"2020-03-28T23:17:48","slug":"events-new-poetry","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/marilynkallet.com\/?page_id=46","title":{"rendered":"New Poetry"},"content":{"rendered":"

“The Girl I Carried”<\/strong> is written for April 17 – 6:30 p.m.<\/strong>\u00a0 poetry reading for Girls Inc. Elite Awards. The theme is “Literary Ladies.”<\/em><\/p>\n

The Girl I Carried<\/strong><\/p>\n

I carried a smart girl within
\nme for nine months,
\na tiny baby, a bit more than four
\npounds. Her best friend
\nas a toddler was a stray,
\nMama Kitty,
\nAnd in the high chair she
\nloved the notes that
\nopened NPR\u2019s \u201cAll Things Considered.\u201d
\nShe flapped her arms and cooed
\nwhen the chimes heralded
\nthe evening news.
\nReader, she became an editor
\nand a musician.
\nBut was she bold?
\nOne day she came home
\nfrom West High School
\nand said, \u201cI can\u2019t get a music education
\nhere! I need to go away to school.\u201d
\nShe was fifteen.
\nAt first I said, \u201cYou\u2019re not going
\nAnywhere.\u201d But she insisted.
\nAnd so began the
\nNorth Carolina School for the Arts,
\nAnd then Northwestern.
\nShe knew what she
\nNeeded to do.
\nStrong, too.
\nShe practiced marimba
\nFor hours on end,
\nBuilding the strength
\nIn her arms
\nThat made the music.<\/p>\n

She drummed on snare
\nAnd bass,
\nCymbals
\nAnd congas,
\nAt a time
\nWhen girls were
\nNot supposed to
\nPlay drums.
\nLeave the rhythm
\nTo the men.
\nBe nice.
\nUm, no thanks!
\nAnd she also studied
\nJournalism,
\nWorked for Columbus Alive
\nAnd then CNN news.
\nShe corrected everyone\u2019s
\nGrammar.
\nNo mistakes on the names
\nOf world leaders.
\nThe news was clear, thanks
\nTo her. And to many women
\nLike her, like you,
\nWho stand up for their own
\nMusic and that of others,
\nWho tell the news straight,
\nGet the names right every time.
\nSo listen to the rhythm of your
\nHearts and stand up
\nFor smart women and girls
\nEverywhere. So that all of us
\nCan keep learning,
\nYoung and old.
\nBe bold enough to
\nTell the truth, speak out<\/p>\n

When something\u2019s wrong.
\nWe have each other\u2019s back.
\nI\u2019ll stand up for you
\nAny day, every day.
\nSisterhood is powerful.
\nNever doubt it.
\nStrong women carry
\nEach other when
\nWe need to.
\nSmart women stay in school.
\nBold women don\u2019t
\nLet their voices
\nGet stifled.
\nWhen I got pregnant,
\nAnother woman
\nTold me I would never
\nHave another carefree moment,
\nNever write
\nAnother song. She was wrong.
\nAll the love in me grew
\nAnd grew,
\nBolder. Together
\nWe are stronger!
\nSisterhood is
\nOne of the smartest,
\nBoldest
\nWords
\nWe know.<\/p>\n

\n

Poem written on March 24, 2020 to reflect closures and guidelines in Knoxville during the COVID-19 pandemic.<\/em><\/p>\n

By Marilyn Kallet<\/em><\/p>\n

State of the City: Green, Greener<\/strong>
\nKnoxville, Tennessee<\/em><\/p>\n

1.
\nWe\u2019re cloistered at home
\ntoday, but our city<\/p>\n

blossoms around us, and
\nin us, love for home.<\/p>\n

Other cities may turn envy-green
\nWhen they glimpse<\/p>\n

Our flourishing greenscapes, our
\nmaples and sassafras, silky<\/p>\n

dogwoods and blousy magnolias,
\nbrazen\u00a0you\u2019re-not-from-around-<\/em><\/p>\n

here-are-you?<\/em>\u00a0crepe myrtle.
\nKnoxville Botanical Gardens<\/p>\n

Blossoms all the while
\nWe shelter. We persevere.<\/p>\n

Our Sunsphere, our views
\nOf the foothills don\u2019t fade.<\/p>\n

\u201cKnoxville is so green!\u201d visitors say.
\nMockingbirds and bluejays agree.<\/p>\n

The sky has told them
\nNot to worry.<\/p>\n

Follow city guidelines
\nAnd you won\u2019t be winging it,<\/p>\n

But living long and well
\nIn our town.<\/p>\n

2.
\nEven when we sleep, our city grows
\nGreener, with parks and<\/p>\n

Wilderness trailheads flourishing.
\n\u201cKeep Knoxville Beautiful\u201d<\/p>\n

Is a plan, not just a dream.
\nAsk those who won the orchid<\/p>\n

Contest. Ask the artists
\nWho stir imaginations,<\/p>\n

Lend their vivid colors
\nTo the city\u2019s alleys and outdoor spaces.<\/p>\n

Market Square murals call our spirits
\nWith their vibrant brushstrokes.<\/p>\n

Dolly\u2019s face brightens a brick wall, and the
\nAugusta Avenue ensemble welcomes<\/p>\n

Everyone.
\nThere will be more art and<\/p>\n

Innovation,
\nAs time rolls on,<\/p>\n

Past fear.
\nFor now, we\u2019ll create<\/p>\n

Safely, in place,
\nMasterpieces at home,<\/p>\n

Or laughing stick figures
\nIn trailhead dirt.<\/p>\n

3.
\nGreen is the bridge
\nMayor Kincannon traversed<\/p>\n

With Mayor Rogero.
\nContinuity lights the way.<\/p>\n

The city aims
\nTo keep our community safe,<\/p>\n

\u201cFrom a Distance\u201d
\nIs our chorus, our necessary theme.<\/p>\n

We know that Market Square will bustle,
\nBe the envy<\/p>\n

Of other cities again.
\nIn the mean time (mean time!)<\/p>\n

We stay hunkered down,
\nCautious.<\/p>\n

Still, neighbors are helping
\nNeighbors. Maple Street Biscuit<\/p>\n

Bundles emergency meals
\nFor kids and families.<\/p>\n

We\u2019re good at sheltering
\nIn good hands,<\/p>\n

With updated info
\nIn a well-scrubbed grasp.<\/p>\n

The state of our city depends
\nOn all of us<\/p>\n

Using our brains.
\nVirtually, if we can.<\/p>\n

Good minds are hard at work,
\nDistancing, online.<\/p>\n

Writing real letters
\nTo our loved ones again.<\/p>\n

4.
\nAll but vital stores
\nstay closed,<\/p>\n

For a time. Let\u2019s take more
\nWalks, keep six feet<\/p>\n

Of loving distance\u00a0 \u00a0 between us.
\nCanned beans, pickled \u2018maters,<\/p>\n

Grandma\u2019s recipes
\nWill see us through this.<\/p>\n

The state of the city is smart
\nAnd kind, at home in us.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ll check on our elderly neighbors
\nBy email.<\/p>\n

Wave to them
\nThrough the glass.<\/p>\n

We\u2019re in this together,
\nNot singing from<\/p>\n

Balconies, but from trails and
\nLaptops. Germs don\u2019t know<\/p>\n

Who\u2019s a Big Wig or a clown.
\nSo we\u2019re staying in, wiping<\/p>\n

Surfaces clean.
\nLove is never having to<\/p>\n

Sneeze
\nNear someone else.<\/p>\n

Consideration and tolerance
\nAre not quarantined.<\/p>\n

Our beloved Phyllis Wheatley Y
\nWon\u2019t always be closed.<\/p>\n

Diversity is not for a day\u2013\u2013
\nIt\u2019s a race for always.<\/p>\n

Coda:
\nWe love you, Knoxville smart,
\nGreen.<\/p>\n

Our daughter Heather was born at UT Medical,
\nWent to Bearden and West High,<\/p>\n

Then NCSA and Northwestern.
\nWhy can\u2019t I brag?<\/p>\n

Didn\u2019t she get her start
\nIn Knoxville public schools?<\/p>\n

Heather judges the friendliness
\nOf every other city<\/p>\n

By Knoxville\u2019s tone. Today,
\nOur friendly arms are gently folded.<\/p>\n

Yassin\u2019s Friendliest Face
\nStays with us, in spirit.<\/p>\n

The dogwood trails
\nShed petal<\/p>\n

Memos on the walks:
\nYou are not alone<\/em>, Love, Beauty.<\/p>\n

The trees are rustling,
\nCome back!<\/em><\/p>\n

The state of the city is hope.
\nMay it stay healthy and ever-green.<\/p>\n

We love you, Knoxville, your
\nPervasive good will.<\/p>\n

Toiling separately,
\nAt a mindful distance, we are<\/p>\n

Working together, one strong,
\nresilient neighborhood!<\/p>\n

—–<\/strong><\/p>\n

Written for the Southeast Climate Science Conference, University of Tennessee Conference Center, March 27, 2020.<\/em><\/p>\n

Climate Elegy and Ode<\/strong><\/p>\n

Seasons of mist and mellow fruitfulness? Alas,
\nmore like seasons of withered
\ngrass and wildfires,
\nseasons of flood, seasons
\nof drought.
\nWhen a 16-year-old is
\nsmarter than an elected
\nofficial, you tell me\u2013\u2013
\nwhom should I vote for?
\nAnd that \u201cOde to a Nightingale\u201d\u2013\u2013
\nwhen was the last time
\nyou lingered in melodious trill?
\nIn the age of humans,
\nin the anthropocene,
\nwe\u2019re the ones who must
\nsave our planet,
\nour children\u2019s
\nfuture, reverse the burn.
\nSunscreen alone won\u2019t do it,
\nmy friends. Listen to the
\nzebra finches warble about warming.
\nThey hatch smaller eggs now, that
\nhold a greater chance
\nof thriving.
\nLike them, we must
\nbuild smaller, more
\nsustainable nests.
\nThe children are singing boldly,
\nhoping
\nthe adults will hear.
\nListen, this may be our
\none shot
\nat composing a score<\/p>\n

for them and theirs.
\nLet\u2019s sing as if
\nthe air
\nand life itself
\ndepends
\non our tender,
\ndetermined
\nvoices.<\/p>\n

——<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

One<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0 (Issue 6) has a poem “More Like Me.” \u00a0 http:\/\/one.jacarpress.com\/#Marilyn%20Kallet<\/a><\/p>\n

My poem, “French Fire,” is in Blue Fifth Review<\/em>: link: https:\/\/bluefifthreview.wordpress.com\/<\/a><\/p>\n

Two poems appear in The Enchanting Verses Review<\/em> (“Forget the Silk” and “Ravishing”): http:\/\/www.theenchantingverses.org\/uploads\/4\/6\/1\/6\/461698\/marilyn_kallet_poems.pdf<\/a><\/p>\n

Poems are forthcoming in the March issue of Plume<\/em> (“Turn Back”) and in the Plume Anthology,<\/em> Volume 3 (“On Loving Two Men at Once.”)<\/p>\n

Marilyn Kallet edited a special edition of One Trick Pony<\/em><\/strong>, with poetry selections from the last six years, composed by poets who have attended the \u201cO Taste & See\u201d workshop in Auvillar, France. Several of Marilyn Kallet\u2019s Auvillar poems are included as well; http:\/\/onetrickponyreview.com\/<\/a> or view at issuu: <\/span>http:\/\/issuu.com\/onetrickponyreview\/docs\/o_taste_and_see\/0<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

—–<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

SynaptIQ+<\/strong><\/em> (Autumn 2014) contains a feature on Marilyn Kallet\u2019s poetry, plus an essay on her poetics by Tomi Wiley James: <\/span>http:\/\/www.synaptiqplus.com\/Submission-Requirements\/Autumn-2014<\/a><\/p>\n

—–<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Plume Poetry <\/strong>(Issue 17)<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

“Soaked” Click here to read<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

—–<\/p>\n

Still: The Journal <\/em><\/strong>(Summer 2012)<\/span><\/p>\n

“Almost” Click here to read.<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

—–<\/p>\n

Mixitini Martini: A Journal of Creative Collaboration<\/em><\/span><\/strong> (Vol. 1, Issue 2, Spring 2012) <\/span><\/p>\n

“Almost Human” with Tom Weiss. Click here to read.<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

“La Coupe Obscure” by Chantal Bizzini, Translation by Marilyn Kallet. Click here to read<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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