Roses are red, curtains are sheer…
Happy National Poetry Month from The Mountaineer!
Poetry stands out among other art forms as a uniquely expressive medium of communicating human emotion. For millennia, poems have inspired and invigorated the masses. And whether written, spoken, or sung, there can be no denying the emotional evocations of American poetry—a rich collection that originates from the following pioneers. This April, let’s hear a round of snaps for these 5 American poets.
5. Sylvia Plath
Best known for her poignant semi-autobiographical novel The Bell Jar, Sylvia Plath is praised as a trailblazer in the genre of confessional poetry. The Collected Poems, an anthology of her life’s work, earned Plath a posthumous Pulitzer Prize in 1982. Unfortunately, the poet took her own life at the age of 30–an act that cemented her fame as a “tortured artist” and may hold more prominence in her legacy than her actual writing. Though Plath’s struggle with depression is deeply entrenched throughout her work (prompting many to conflate her mental illness with her identity as a poet), it’s important to remember that her artistry stands alone: Sylvia Plath’s talent and personhood remain independent of the tragic circumstances that accompany her story.
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“Out of the ash.
I rise with my red hair.
And I eat men like air.”
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“I saw my life branching out before me like the green fig tree… From the tip of every branch, like a fat purple fig, a wonderful future beckoned and winked. …I saw myself sitting in the crotch of this fig tree, starving to death because I couldn’t make up my mind which of the figs I would choose. I wanted each and every one of them, but choosing one meant losing all the rest, and, as I sat there, unable to decide, the figs began to wrinkle and go black, and, one by one, they plopped to the ground at my feet.”
4. Walt Whitman
Today, Walter Whitman Jr. holds the distinguished title of “father of free verse.” His contributions to American poetry make him one of the most influential poets of all time. Whitman’s belief in the power of prose allowed him to echo the primary values of his young country; with his use of themes such as unity, individualism, and patriotism, each expressed through newly accessible prosody, he was arguably America’s first democratic poet. In a time where stark divisions increasingly fragment our country, Whitman’s words continue to paint a picturesque vision of old American principles and the joy encapsulated in their simplicity.
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“The United States themselves are essentially the greatest poem.”
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“I hear America singing, the varied carols I hear
…Each singing what belongs to him or her and to none else,
…Singing with open mouths their strong melodious songs.”
3. Paula Gunn Allen
Lebanese and Laguna Pueblo Paula Gunn Allen is one of too few celebrated indigenous American poets. Her work draws on tribal influence, challenging the dominant Eurocentric views of Native American societies and in turn revitalizing modern feminist and indigenous culture studies. She is partially credited for the birth of indigenous feminism. Gunn Allen’s haunting prose serves as a reminder of the original Americans, often forgotten as historians misinterpret and rewrite indigenous cultures. It brings to light the Native American experience, inspiring the work of many up-and-coming indigenous authors today.
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“Out of her body she extruded
shining wire, life, and wove the light…
…she was given the work of weaving the strands
of her body, her pain, her vision
into creation, and the gift of having created,
to disappear.”
2. Maya Angelou
Acclaimed poet and memoirist Maya Angelou was also an activist in the Civil Rights movement. But her association with Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X is just one contributor to the immense respect her work—spanning poetry books, autobiographies, and essays detailing the black American experience—has garnered. Alongside a vivid career in singing, acting, dancing, educating, directing, lecturing, and composing, Angelou’s accomplishments as a writer have captivated the nation for decades. Her recitation of “On the Pulse of Morning” (excerpted below) at Clinton’s presidential inauguration earned her a well—deserved Grammy award. As a spokesperson for the Black Arts Movement and a key figure in African—American culture, Maya Angelou’s iconic influence on American poetry and national history is here to stay.
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“You, created only a little lower than
The angels, have crouched too long…
Have lain too long
Facedown in ignorance,
Your mouths spilling words
Armed for slaughter.”
1. You!
Poetry’s endlessly expressive possibility—the very characteristic which lends this artform its power—can make writing poems seem like an intimidating task. But this exercise in emotional creativity doesn’t need to be a chore. Contrary to popular belief, poetry is unpretentious by nature: there is no rigid structure, no rhythm or pattern to follow. In fact, poems are chiefly accessible in their fluidity; poetry has been penned by all classes of people in all dialects, formal or informal, for as long as humans could write. Contemporary poets like Rupi Kaur have revolutionized the landscape of poetry so that modern poems can contain as little as a string of words (or in the case of the world’s shortest poem, written by Aram Saroyan, one letter). So as long as you can think of a couple of words worth saying, however meaningless or Gabbie Hanna-esque, you’ve got no excuse. Go forth, new poet. Don’t wait for figs to rot.
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