“…She must learn again to speak
starting with I
starting with We
starting as the infant does
with her own true hunger
and pleasure
and rage.”
— Marge Piercy
We Must Learn to Speak Again
As part of each writing circle, we create a group collective poem from our “Readback lines,” the phrases we hear each other say in our writing that speak to us more directly and are repeated back into the circle. This Saturday, inspired by Marge Piercy’s powerful poem, our writing circle at the Jax Public Library produced one such poem:
I Must Learn to Speak Again
I must learn to speak again
with honesty
but not cruelty.
I just learn to speak again
when I feel like other people
are trying to speak over me.
“You can call me Gordie.”
That is such a clever line.
Right. Pretty amazing. The entire poem.
I must learn to speak again.
I must learn to speak again with more detail.
I must learn to speak again.
—Collective Group Poem, Book Club Series on The Handmaid’s Tale
October 21, 2017
These poetic moments are ephemeral—here, then gone again. It’s best to be present to really understand. But when we learn to speak, and speak again, it’s transcendent. (We were especially glad JPL young writer award-winner Nikki Kershner could be there with us!)
This important idea rang especially true later as we listened to author Deborah Howard speak on the difficult topic of childhood sexual abuse. This is not an easy subject, but the beauty of the Survive To Thrive Exhibit just concluding in JPL’s Jax Makerspace is that when we say these things out loud, it takes away the taboo—not from the abuse, but from not talking about the abuse. This is important. We must learn to speak, and speak again, to protect ourselves and our children.
Typewriter Fun
Just for fun, after the writing circle, we spent a few minutes typing on an old electric typewriter in the Jax MakerSpace. This turned into a chance to create a poem with a young woman who was there for the closing dance performance presented by the Jacksonville Dance Theatre. Here’s what she created:
I Must Learn to Speak Again
I must learn to speak again.
People tend to keep their truth thoughts inside.
They need to learn to speak again…
Say something they believe in.
I must learn to NOT speak again.
I have a hard time holding back.
I must learn to speak again
when sharing my feelings,
expressing myself in a vulnerable
situation.
I tend to start to
think
instead of do
or
speak.
I need to learn to speak again.
—Rachel P., Jax Makerspace, October 21, 2017
One Boy’s Poem
We even got to interview 10-year-old William, who created this found poem:
I Must Learn to Speak Again
I must learn to speak again
at school
so I can answer questions
that my teacher wants me to answer.
I must learn to speak again
when somebody’s talking
when you’re on stage
when you’re answering the phone.
I need to learn to NOT speak again
when somebody’s talking
when your mom says “You’re in time out…no talking!”
And in the library.
I wish I could speak in the library.
I need to learn to speak again.
Hope to see you in the circle again soon. —JW