The other night I was invited to watch a friend present some poetry at a local bookshop. Every second Friday of every month the bookshop hosts a Poetry and Prose night where anyone can come and present their work. As I sat there listening to the thoughts, emotions, and personal stories of the lives of strangers, I started to hear a theme weave through the words of these writers. A theme of advocacy for human rights, environmental justice, and political cries against our current Federal administration, writ large.

It was in the words that I felt a stranger’s attempt at sense making – sense making of what we are all witnessing, sense making of what we should be doing, and sense making of how we all are feeling. They were an outlet for people to unburden themselves of the grief they are experiencing for a Nation deeply lost, but they were also a call to action.

Not every poem was a cry for justice. One explored the complicated feelings for a lost partner. One had more frivolity, as it played with Tolkien themes and stories of Middle Earth. My friend wrote about the visceral feeling when listening to music and getting lost in the rhythm and sounds of the instruments.

What I found most compelling was the bravery of each poet to stand before a crowd of listeners, sharing their words at the risk of judgement. At the risk of voices cracking from tattered nerves or, god-forbid, of tears falling as their own words ripped open old or new wounds. But in those four walls, in a room filled with books, old chairs, curious listeners, and the smells of ink and wine, words danced around in these aural waves, powerfully stirring up a community of empathetic supporters and bringing people together. It was not the face of the America seen in the news as of late. It was a face of who we, the people, really are in this country (at least, most of us).

At the end of the evening, I watched my partner go around to tell each poet how much he enjoyed their writing. This, to me, was another brave individual, as I find it difficult to approach strangers and share such a meaningful moment as he had done. The world needs poets and patrons, and the world needs bravery and community now, more than ever.

If you have a local poetry reading in your town, I urge you to go. It is inspiring and beautiful.

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