Poetry Month: The Truth 24 of 30

-
For the month of April, I'll be writing poetry each day in celebration of National Poetry Month.  I've decided not choose a theme, not to plan the writing, but instead to wait to see what poetry finds me each day. 

The truth
isn't painted by word artists
twisting
reaching
creating a story
from a small nugget.

The truth
isn't found by journalists
searching
molding
discovering a crumb
trying to make it dessert.

The truth
isn't heard from politicians
declaring
proclaiming
their version of a story
tainted by money.

The truth
in today's world is often
silenced
hidden
colored by glasses
we don't know we wear.

© Cathy L. Mere, 2018

Comments

  1. Mary LeeApril 25, 2018 at 6:31 AM

    ZING!! Wow! So much TRUTH here. The contrast between the last two lines of artist and journalist is powerful -- the same, but...NOT. And those glasses we don't even know we wear... (Such a different take from the glasses you wrote about yesterday!!!)

    ReplyDelete
  2. CarolApril 25, 2018 at 10:39 AM

    Wow, wow, wow! I agree with Mary Lee. HUGE truth here. Each of the stanzas, so different, and so perfect. And that last stanza! I want to share this one with my middle schoolers!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Glenda FunkApril 25, 2018 at 8:54 PM

    Truth is often clouded by beliefs and values. I recently taught "The Things They Carried" by Tim O'Brien. There's a chapter called "How to Tell a True War Story" that gets to the ideas your poem alludes to. However, we can know whether or not something is a fact, but how we interpret those facts is another thing.

    I'd be interested in know what you mean by your use of "journalists." I'm bothered by attacks on the press, most coming from Trump and the talking heads on Fox News. The press, comprised of journalists, have a responsibility to be a check on government. I see those trained in their professions as truth seekers. Often a big national story grows from "a small nugget." That happened w/ Watergate, for instance.

    Your last stanza is my favorite as it speaks to confirmation bias and the tendency most have to have a narrow world view. In my job I teach students how to look at multiple sides of an issue. We have lots of discussions about this responsibility and the pitfalls we all face in seeking truth, in trying to understand the world.

    ReplyDelete
  4. CathyApril 26, 2018 at 4:52 AM

    Glenda,
    Thank you for your thoughtful comment. I haven't read "The Things They Carried," but I do appreciate your point about interpretation as it adds another layer to the conversation of truth.

    Your comment about "journalist" speaks to the importance of word choice in our writing. Every word matters. I wrestled with using "journalist" here as I did worry that in today's world it would be interpreted as "fake news" which wasn't my intent. Like you, I value the journalists who work to keep us informed and uncover truths. In the last two years I have learned, however, to pay attention to the sources of information I read. I work to read different perspectives, but I prefer to find information that seems free of interpretation. That can be tricky.

    Your comments have me wondering how we get beyond our biases to stay informed.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Poetry Friday is Here: Candy Hearts

-
Image
I'm honored to be hosting Poetry Friday today.  What better weekend for poetry than the weekend of love?  If you love poetry, you'll want to come back throughout the day to see new updates.  If you're joining today with a poem or other poetry treasures, leave your link in the comments.  Across the day I will move them up into this post.  Parnote via Wikimedia Commons Candy Hearts Does anyone eat candy hearts? Or are they just small confectionery candies for conversation? Cool dude, charm me. Let's do lunch in style. Chill out, Sugar Pie. XOXO, BFF. How many characters are necessary to know the heart? Colorful confections, marvelous merriment, However, I prefer     my calories         in chocolate. © Cathy L. Mere, 2015 Poets We Love Elizabeth Barrett Browing:  Iphigene, at Gathering Books, shares Elizabeth Barrett Browning's, Sonnets from the Portuguese . Todd Boss:  Friday the 13th and Valentine's Day in the same week
Read more

Slice of Life: Savor Summer

-
Image
Today I'm joining a  Slice of Life  hosted by Two Writing Teachers.  Stop by for links to this amazing community of writers.  Recently  Jill Fisch  posted this on her Facebook page: Jill Fisch's new blog:   I Notice, I Wonder For me, summer hasn't been slow.  It's been busy.  Though I've been out of school since the beginning of June, it wasn't until July 16th, that my professional work took a bit of a break.  Every week since school ended I've been involved in meetings, professional development sessions, completing work related to school, and catching up on professional reading.  Now, granted, the schedule has been a bit more slowed, but it's still been full of professional work.  Finally on July 16th, I decided I was able to find the time for a two week break (sort of).   In one of those paused moments in the last few days, Jill's post caught my attention as I read …. "to recapture that relaxed, slow feeling of summer in the mid
Read more

Poetry Friday: A Gentle Hello

-
Image
It's Poetry Friday!!!  I'm honored to be hosting today's link up of beautiful words.  If you're joining us, please leave your link in the comments.  I will be back later in the day to move links up into this post.  In the meantime, be sure to visit the comments to find links to more poetry finds.   A Gentle Hello Out of nowhere you appear. I wasn't expecting you; not today. It has been awhile since you stood near the door strong and tall  greeting me as I entered;  assuring me you would still be right there upon my return. That was long ago. Days have turned to weeks. Weeks to years. Though time has passed I haven't forgotten you. Sometimes it's a comment, a picture, a smell.  The song of a bird. The rush of the wind. The bloom of a flower. Taking me back to the days when you were always there. Without warning here you are again. A gracious gift.  An unexpected surprise. A gentle hello. Making
Read more