By: Abigail Harris
Who died to give you liberty
In honor of America’s first war heroes
A big golden retriever begs for a belly rub every chance he gets
“He’s so cute!”
In honor of America’s first war heroes
“Alright, do you guys want to play soccer?”
“He’s so cute!”
“Not serious. Smile.”
“Alright, do you guys want to play soccer?”
The graves of the soldiers, perhaps 2,000
“Not serious. Smile.”
A child clumsily walks his own empty stroller past me
The graves of the soldiers, perhaps 2,000
A big golden retriever begs for a belly rub every chance he gets
A child clumsily walks his own empty stroller past me
Who died to give you liberty
I love the interplay between the more serious and less serious lines. There is something really powerful too about the line "A child clumsily walks his own empty stroller past me."
ReplyDeleteAs someone who works near Washington Square, this piece is fascinating to me. It beautifully puts in verse the strange dichotomy that pervades at the site. For some, it is a solemn place to pay your respects; for others, a recreation area. Some visitors to Philadelphia's historic district find the contrast disturbing, while others are amused by it.
ReplyDeleteI love the juxtaposition that this poem displays.
ReplyDeleteIt reminds me of the common American practice of going to the beach on Memorial Day weekend.
Excellent work!
The way the phrases flow back and forth really captures what it's like to sit at Independence NHP. The big ideas - liberty! democracy! - from the signs bounce around in your head while other visitors do their thing around you.
ReplyDeleteHi Abigail;
ReplyDeleteI absolutely enjoyed reading your Pantoum poem about Washington Square, and I would like to reiterate what others have mentioned about how successful your poem was at articulating the challenge of how to balance the desire to commemorate the historic significance of the square with the need for a place for people to come together and recreate. Great piece.
I concur with the other comments. You put it in perspective on how we celebrate our heroes. The stanzas in the poem were wonderfully done!
ReplyDeleteI now want to go sit in Washington Square and listen to the sounds and enjoy the sights. Yours words paint a picture in my mind so clear that I want to be part of the scene.
ReplyDelete