Hello all. As a poetry-tourist and an amateur writer, I would like to begin a new weekly offering on Kos. Every Friday, around 8PM (EST), a diary will be posted exclusively about and for poetry.
First, a quick shout out to cfk for suggesting I fill the missing poetry diaries. I understand there were some others who did a similar project, but they have fallen off lately.
Want to read and write poetry weekly? Follow me below for details and how to help.
Why do we need poetry at DailyKos? For one, tensions build up here as we are seeing recently. Outlets like poetry, photography, and pretty kitties give us a little time to breathe.
Poetry is a beautiful distraction. But beyond that, poetry is political. From Walt Whitman's "centre of equal daughters, equal sons," to Langston Hughes' "America was never America to me," poetry has given voice to the great hopes of society and questioned its most glaring failures. Poetry often condenses the unsaid. It puts tension to rhythm and meaning to meter; it finds us, in our glory and misery.
That is why, among many reasons, poetry should have a place at the table.
My plan -- fluid, for your suggestions -- is to begin each week with a predetermined theme or subject.
We'll suggest a subject one week, then the next week we'll showcase some [published] poets in the diary who have approached chosen subject successfully. Subjects will be chosen based on the number of recommends for the comment. I.e., someone might post "Subject: Time" as a comment to this diary. If you appreciate the theme suggested, you would tip it. (In the absence of a plurality, we will appropriate Congressional disarray.)
In the comments, anyone who feels inspired will share their own poetry on the subject. (Truly, any poem will be acceptable!) These can be written in advance or on the spot as the diary is published.
So that is my plan. I appreciate any comments, suggestions. But, to our purpose, please nominate a subject in your comments to begin our first Kos Poets week - Next Friday, 8PM-EST.
I hope you will find this to be a fun and useful exercise!