Literary Blog Hop: Poetry

The Literary Blog Hop is hosted at The Blue Bookcase. Our question this week comes from Gary at Parrish Lantern:

What is your favorite poem and why?

Poetry intimidated me. In fact, I hadn't read poetry since my high school English classes.  That changed earlier this year when I won a copy of Poetry Speaks Who I Am from Bellezza.  Inside, I found this poem about a kitchen table:

Perhaps the World Ends Here

by Joy Harjo

The world begins at a kitchen table. No matter what, we

must eat to live.

The gifts of earth are brought and prepared, set on the table.

So it has been since creation, and it will go on.

We chase chickens or dogs away from it. Babies teethe at the

corners. They scrape their knees under it.

It is here that children are given instructions on what it

means to be human. We make men at it, we make women.

At this table we gossip, recall enemies and the ghosts of lovers.

Our dreams drink coffee with us as they put their arms

around our children. They laugh with us at our poor falling-

down selves and as we put ourselves back together once

again at the table.

This table has been a house in the rain, an umbrella

in the sun.

Wars have begun and ended at this table. It is a

place to hide in the shadow of terror. A place to

celebrate the terrible victory.

We have given birth on this table, and have prepared

our parents for burial here.

At this table we sing with joy, with sorrow. We

pray of suffering and remorse. We give thanks.

Perhaps the world will end at the kitchen table,

while we are laughing and crying, eating of the last

sweet bite.

Finally, a poem that spoke to me! "Perhaps the World Ends Here" is the poem that gave me the courage to give poetry a second chance.

Find my complete review of Poetry Speak Who I Am here.

Visit The Blue Bookcase for links to other participants.