On Poetry and Power.
Today we are going to listen to poetry and write in response.
The theme of the poems is women and power.
No matter the stage of your life or your gender,
Chances are that gender roles play a part in what you do,
Consciously or unconsciously,
And this can lead us to giving away our power.
Today we are going to take steps to take our power back.
The first poem is The Beginnings of Rain.
One day I stopped trying,
Frying and buying,
Goods for the house.
I stepped back from countertops,
Let the crumbs wilt,
And listened from behind walls to the sounds of heaving.
My family,
Motherless,
Giving birth to itself.
My husband screeching like I used to do at all he had to do before the next errand.
And the children coming to him as they used to do to me with bodies hungry,
Knees bleeding,
Needing to be put to bed.
And I listened from behind walls to the winds inside my own skin,
Shut the windows of my fingers,
Refused to lift a hand,
Heard the storm converging,
Clouds stirring over my own dry land,
And listened to the beginnings of rain.
Taking back your power can be like allowing a storm to happen.
If you can get it out on paper,
Then you can get it out of your body.
It doesn't happen all at once,
And it takes time.
So let's turn to our journals now.
For two minutes,
I'd like you to journal in response to this question.
If you had time,
What would you do?
Begin.
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Very good.
And the last question.
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