I especially enjoyed the poem Esther by Vienna Wagner. With Esther as the main character, the poem expertly explores the alienation and sensations that Esther feels as the king's wife. The speaker feels out of place, as her husband's servants try to scrub her heritage out of her. She still longs for her people and her homeland, even though she is now in a place of power and privilege.
Imagery is central to the poem, as it begins with descriptions of Queen Vashti's presence lingering in the palace, in the scallop of the spoons and the scent of jasmine. The speaker describes the honey and myrrh she has bathed during her "stillborn" year, and compares herself to a straw clinging to a camel's back.
Rhythm plays a part in the poem, as seen in the lines
"I never climbed those olive trees
or planted chickpea toes in promised soil."The first line is written in iambic tetrameter, and the second is written in iambic pentameter. Buoyed by rhythm, these lines emphasize the longing in the poem for a homeland and identity.
This poem displays complexity and nuance and breathes new life into a old story.
Bri, thanks for this comment on Vienna Wagner's poem. Could I post a link to it on the CMW site? Or you could do it yourself--just click on the thought bubble in the upper right hand corner of the poem.
ReplyDeleteAs far as Mennonite literature goes--hope you've discovered more in this class and in A Cappella, my poetry anthology, which wasn't on your book list, although we did read some poems from it. It's exciting to see young writers like Vienna Wagner producing such great work. Incidentally, her Mom is Shari Miller Wagner, whose work is anthologized in A Cappella.