Us and Them - Genre Reflection #2
Us and Them
It’s not the academics that keep them going,
nor the good grades, nor the promise of praise;
It’s not the weary will of their teachers,
tending to texts that they hope inspire them.
It’s the humanity of it all.
The cold reality of 23 years of jail time
and a boy becoming a man alone.
The outrage of justice miscarried
(one of the many corruptions that we live with).
The way he stifles his cries over the phone
knowing the carelessness that caused his incarceration.
And the tragedy of a life lost
of a confident young girl who will never grow old,
never see her family,
never warm them with a smile.
It’s the knowledge that these are real people
suffering death, sorrow, and shame all over again;
now, at the mercy of millions.
They ask: “Is he still in jail, Miss? How old was he?”
“He was about your age. From 17 to 40, he’s been in there.”
“Will he ever get out?”
“Maybe. Maybe not.”
“But Miss, did he really do it? Did he kill her?”
“We don’t know. We barely know anything about his case.”
And what does that say about us?
Cat
ReplyDeleteI like your subtle references with the podcast you are listening to with your students. I have spoken to you about the podcast, so I know a little bit about what the poem means, but for most people it will not be the case. Instead, most people will feel a kind of mysteriousness when they read your poem. It represents more the general case of miscarried justice instead of referencing one specific case. Good job with your genre reflection.
Nathan
Cat
ReplyDeleteI love how enigmatic your poem is to the casual observer, going from academics to talking about jail time. However, having listened to you tell us about the podcast you listen to with your students, I know this is what it is based on. This back and forth talk about the failure of a justice system is intriguing. I especially liked how you signaled the difference in speakers with italics and quotations, even including the main speaker's thoughts in italics. It truly gives your poem multiple perspectives.
Hi Cat! This poem looks like it could come straight from a Norton Anthology, it is wonderfully written! When my students were doing a law and justice unit, some cases we looked at prompted similar questions from them. The way that you put those experiences in the classroom together into a poem is absolutely moving! You are a master of alliteration and anaphora, and the questioning tone of the poem is very striking, as you have some of the same questions as your students. I think this is a great way to capture how we sometimes don't know how to deal with things that happen during our teaching. Thank you for sharing this!
ReplyDelete-Journey Smith