“Our ability to reach unity in diversity will be the beauty and the test of our civilization.” -Mahatma Gandhi

As we begin another celebration of Poetry Month, I am once again reminded of the role that poetry has played in my life. It all began at the Hunts Point Library in the South Bronx, with its massive oak tables and fragrances of time, on the new and aging pages of open books.
My first travels, besides the Staten Island and Keansburg, New Jersey ferries, were taken through the world of books. My childhood imagination so deep, my reading skills off the charts, and my heart so broken that I wandered from my depressed and brutalized little body into other worlds. I walked beside Walden Pond and stepped into the comfort of Chinese gardens − their pavilions, rocks, plants − those wonderous designs, a protection from the glare of violence − at home, in school, on the street. The violence that is born from the greed and lust for power of the few, visited upon the many.
The accessibility of poetry makes it a democratizing force that can engage multiple literacies: the writing, the speaking, the listening; you can move to it, sing it, sound it, engage it with all other art forms.
This poet grew up understanding poetry as a way to build community, move a political agenda, arouse the hunger for justice and provoke action against injustice, and protect cultural history as did poets Gwendolyn Brooks; June Jordan; Audre Lorde; Julia de Burgos; as do living poets Wang Ping, Hoa Nguyen and Springfield’s inaugural Poet Laureate, María Luisa Arroyo Cruzado.
Poets distill life, events, the seen and unseen, into essence. To be a poet is soul work and demands time, self-education, craft, and the development of one’s singular, recognizable written and spoken voice.
There is so much to be learned from the reading, writing and listening to poetry. In poetry, like in plays, the silences are as important as the words. It serves us well to listen deeply, to the spoken and the unspoken, the inflections and intentions of words.
Politics are a form of anti-poetry; rather than distill the essence of what is, too often distilled is the essence of what isn’t, weaving words into sound bites of promises, that when examined on the page, leave blotches of negative space. Critical thinking about politics and politicians are urgent to the health of one’s community, town, city, state, and country. Just as book covers may sell a book to those easily taken by visuals, so can a campaign or personality take an election.
As a city with a population that is over 65% People of Color, I find it troubling that every Mayor from Caleb Rice to Domenic Sarno all have been White men with the exception of one White woman. For the upcoming mayoral election, Springfield City Councilor Justin Hurst was the first to announce. He was followed by David Ciampi, then City Council President Jesse Lederman, followed by State Representative Orlando Ramos.
Here’s how I see it. Mayor Sarno has been in power long enough to make a gracious exit and make room for someone new. Since Councilor Hurst was the first to announce, I imagined that Council President Lederman would have stood to support him, as I believed that Lederman might actually have had the vision to see that our city needs to experience leadership that reflects our majority BIPOC population. Then, when State Representative Ramos stepped in, all I felt was discouragement. Can’t they see that the vote has now been divided and diluted − worse than that, this City of Silos has just become divided into more parts. Lots of stanzas in this poem − but all the rhythms are dissonant and disconnected.
Imagine this, Lederman and Ramos join forces and talents with Hurst, since he was the one who first announced. They could all create another Springfield First, With Hurst. The first person of color to lead the City. Instead of running against each other, why not run together? I’m not talking about salary or job sharing, but by taking a stand that interrupts the silo mentality that has kept Springfield from moving out of the 1950s.
Many people perceive Springfield as dangerous. I don’t. I love this city and all of its people. What I don’t love is the provincialism that has cost us in progress as one whole and progressive community. Everyone was so excited about the PRIDE celebration last year, as we all should be. We should also ask, why was it at least 30 years late?
If the candidates decide to exchange their collective wide breadth of knowledge, bottomless talents, and create a strong platform of UNITY – what they could accomplish together is breathtaking. Maybe they could even win over Mr. Ciampi, and form a coalition that could have a huge ripple effect, and national implications for our profoundly divided and grieving nation.
Together, all of these candidates could choose to set a nationwide example of a strategic intervention to dismantle a tired political status quo.
My intention here is not to disparage any candidate, nor to endorse. What I am endorsing here is non-linear thinking to support what is best for Springfield long-term. Collaboration over competition. These candidates all want to champion youth, well, why not begin by setting an example whereby a campaign can win more by equity than by ego? Why not let the people of Springfield know that all of them are seen, valued, and respected. Saying it is not as powerful as modeling it.
As I have entered the fourth season of my life, I continue to hold a vision of unity for Springfield. I believe that our very best FIRST is yet to come. ■