By Millicent Borges Accardi
from a line by Natalie Diaz
Marking words to delete, like
people who do not belong, precious
darlings, a writing teacher called
them. The clever lines you smile
about and pronounce defiantly at
poetry readings, repeating them
with gusto and fight, hiding
a well-knowing smile, as you say,
I CRACK in the DARK. I SHINE
In the SNOW. You have a shoebox
full of castaways, the lost words
you forever-keep, meshing inside
you and delighting over, only,
to want desperately to use and be used
by them, like the short red dress
that draws you into its candy
apple arms. On a date, you know
you are in trouble when you check
the taste of the lime and gin for a
hint of peppermint, but the temptation
is too fierce, pulling to the opposite
of the pushing back; you know you
must give in to the, do, be and have-
yet words, the no, yes and you must fight
the poetic temptations of which you
are so certain are bad and will end
with a bang and a scream where you
and your poem are on a rooftop,
with your arms gesturing at the poem
to the moon, saying, Keep the LINE
I LOVE THAT LINE, while rushes
of warm air heat up your new
thoughts and wrap around you like
a cocktail and a freshly washed bed sheet
The Importance of Arts, Culture & The Creative Process
Especially in these times, it is important to focus on the arts, critical thinking and to (as poet Carolyn Forché says) to stop focusing ONLY on the oppressor(s) and to put our energies on those oppressed and build up our own strength.
What was the inspiration for your creative work?
I was reading Natalie Diaz and a line of hers "across the frozen page" struck me, and I kept mulling it over in relation to my own writing process. How frozen a page can seem and how weary we are of hanging onto our favorite lines and always eager to latch onto a new fresh idea.a
Tell us something about the natural world that you love and don’t wish to lose. What are your thoughts on the kind of world we are leaving for the next generation?
Kindness, art and literature and natural resources.
