"Account of the Apparitions" Link (Scroll!): http://www.thefeministwire.com/2011/06/featured-poet-lillian-yvonne-bertram/ Hey, everyone! The third Lillian-Yvonne Bertram poem I want to discuss with you guys is called “Account of the Apparitions,” and details the beginning of what seems to be an economic recession in the speaker’s life. When I was reading this poem, I found that the tone and themes were starkly intense and dark throughout, with imagery depicting the emptiness and sorrow that can come with sudden poverty. The poem begins with the speaker announcing that the “billion dollar days” were over, and that the “old times” had returned. What the billion dollar days consisted of can be interpreted in a number of ways: the days could've been a period of time where the speaker was living in luxury and opulence, or it could've been a time where the speaker was simply living comfortably, with a sustainable income and living situation. The manner in which Bertram describes the old times implies that the current generation of youth being discussed had never lived through a time of economic hardship until now, and probably couldn't believe that such hardship could exist in modern times. Bertram establishes a tone of recollection by describing a memory of her “old man,” her father, sitting by a lamp in their home, which has become dusty and stale from the sudden decline in activity and liveliness. She calls the period of their misfortune the “Summer of Sorrow” and “The Fall of Painted Statues with Paint Worn Off,” which provides a window into how long the family has been living in that situation (Two whole seasons!). The poem suddenly becomes more intense as she describes how the remnants of the billion dollar days have to be aborted in order to make way for the new old times. I’m not quite sure if Bertram is speaking figuratively or literally when she describes how “every girl and friend”, including herself, needed an abortion. The way she goes on to talk about the occurrence as “a hip kind of cruel” makes me think about the influence of the economy on people’s home-lives and prospects (kids are expensive!). I think that Bertram is...valiant...for successfully taking on what many people considers a taboo topic to write about. She also includes a bit where she describes how their shawls and blankets were “sewn with thinning economic plans,” which practically embodies poverty in America. She uses symbolism in talking about the tattoos behind each of their ears, of dollar signs and the Eye of Horus, which are both considered symbols of stability and protection. Bertram’s poetry never disappoints. She is able to describe her experiences in life and thoughts she’s had beautifully using poetry as her artistic medium.
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"Statement"
Link (scroll down!): https://www.poetrysociety.org/psa/poetry/crossroads/new_american_poets/lillian--yvonne_bertram/ The second poetry installment from the contemporary poet Lillian-Yvonne Bertram that I want to discuss is one with a less…dramatic title. “Statement” by Lillian-Yvonne Bertram is a contemplative and moving piece that has a very blunt title to go along with it. As I got into this poem, I began to understand why she chose such a frank word: The poem opens with a brief setting description, where she recollects standing in the Colorado Desert and observing “Jupiter and the moon rise together in that triumphant way that celestial bodies come into view” (Lines 2-3). She describes the majesty of the cosmic bodies, and how observing these ethereal beings can leave someone on Earth suspended in time. Bertram laments that human language is inferior when compared to the universe, that she is unable to find enough words to describe her experience. Awareness of one’s scale in the universe is a curse in Bertram’s eyes, and until you find the right words to capture the occurrence, you are forever trapped in “a crypt so utter that language is a joke” (Line 10). I can feel the tension that Bertram may have been suffering through when she realized that the only thing keeping her from connecting with the cosmos was a thin window, a “pane of glass” (Line 8), a language barrier. She understands that she will likely never be able to break out of this rut, but she keeps trying to. This is where I think the title choice for this piece came into play; she probably came to terms with the fact that humans will likely never be able to communicate (per say) with the celestial bodies because our language has diverged from the path to enlightened speech. She decided on “Statement” for the title of this poem because all words have the same inferiority: there’s no point in creating an elaborate name for a pointless cause. What really caught my attention is the last line of this poem. She takes a step back and thinks about what a poem truly is when used in an attempt to leave the crypt of language. Bertram questions whether the poem is “the cellar, the crack permitting light, or the light” (Lines 13-14). On her first point, it can be concluded that the search for acceptable words is futile, and that she will be doomed for all eternity by continuing her search for a pure language. Her second perspective proposes that writing poetry allows the glass pane to become clearer (temporarily) until new words are formed to accommodate the cosmos’ grandeur. I believe that Bertram’s third point is what she relies on to keep her going as an artist. This point establishes that poetry is comprised of bits and pieces of the cosmos itself, and allow humans to gradually lose awareness and connect with the universe wholly. |
AuthorHello everyone! My name is Alecia Guishard. Welcome to Reader's Delight, a site that fosters an open discussion on literature, as well as provides an avenue for my own thoughts on various reads. Archives
March 2017
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