Always free, always open mic. "Land of My Father's War" poems by
Phyllis Meshulam.
Phyllis Meshulam first went to Italy, where her father had been
stationed during World War II, at not quite five. Threads of those
journeys are woven into her newly-released book of poems, Land of My
Father’s War, from Cherry Grove Collections. Joy Harjo, winner of
the 2017 Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize, said of Meshulam’s book, an
“urgency of spirit has emerged eloquently here in these poems of
perception and even prophecy….” Meshulam is also the author of
Doll, Moon (Finishing Line Press), Doors (War and Peace Press) and
Valley of Moon (d-Press). She is a veteran teacher for California
Poets in the Schools and coordinator for Poetry Out Loud, and has been
a presenter at the nation-wide writing conferences, AWP and Split this
Rock. Her work has appeared in magazines from Earth’s Daughters
and Phoebe to Teachers & Writers and Tikkun. Meshulam has an MFA
from Vermont College of Fine Arts. For CPitS’s 50th anniversary, she
edited, Poetry Crossing, which Poetry Flash called “a truly joyful
collection of lessons, inspirations, and children's poems.”
Southeast Asian Rain
Above and Beyond Exhibition, National Veterans Art Museum, Chicago
The breathing space within the gallery
is sliced by fifty-eight thousand fine strands,
(not the usual chains). Each current
makes pendant metal tags glint,
ringing each other like a wind harp,
or sun-scattered rain on the roof
of a Quonset hut. What’s
in a dog tag? Name, blood type. A small mirror.
Each is labeled. B positive,
or be excluded or dead. O for negative,
or zero. O for other. Each belief
system reduced to one of a few
graced faiths. P for protestor. C,
for catharsis. J for jungle. An identity –
forgotten tiger, lamb, or forest fire.
Reminder – prompts available if you wish, see the below full
schedule for prompts.
culture
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21/11/2017 Last update