In her brilliant book, Poems Are Teachers: How Studying Poetry Strengthens Writing in All Genres, Amy Ludwig VanDerwater tells us to “strengthen our abilities to see the world from multiple points of view” because developing this muscle helps us realize that “each leaf, each mouse, each stranger [is] important and worthy of our attention and care.” (pg. 77) What an important lesson for our fractured world.

I reread Amy’s thoughts on Persona poems this week as I attempted to write one for the Inklings March challenge. Margaret asked us to write a poem that “conveys a message, is written in the voice of another person, place, or thing, uses direct address.”

This seemingly straight-forward task stumped me. I tried writing about my great-grandmother. When that didn’t work, I scoured Google Arts & Culture and found an intriguing painting of a woman with blue hair, but that went nowhere. Finally, this morning (Saturday!), I remembered a poem I wrote several years ago. It’s been sitting in my notebook all this time because I wasn’t completely satisfied with it. And although it’s not exactly a persona poem, it’s close enough. Also, as I’ve been writing this, I think it’s an appropriate poem to share at the beginning of Women’s History Month.

Peasant Girl

Stitch after stitch her story grows
As nimble fingers wrap coarse yarn
Swift needles sing an ancient song

Row by row, old truths unfold
A woman’s voice is not her own
Stitch after stitch her story grows

Blocked from using pen and ink
She knits the truth of her fiery soul
Swift needles sing an ancient song

She plies her skill to share her tale
Pain and longing encoded in wool
Stitch after stitch her story grows

Texture and color are her vocabulary
She chooses each with loving care
Swift needles sing an ancient song

Pearls of hard-won wisdom shared
For all who care to see
Stitch after stitch her story grows
Swift needles sing an ancient song

Draft © 2024, Catherine Flynn

Please be sure to see how my fellow Inklings responded to this challenge here:

Heidi @my juicy little universe
Linda @A Word Edgewise
Molly @Nix the Comfort Zone
Margaret @Reflections on the Teche
Mary Lee @Another Year of Reading

Also, be sure to visit Linda Baie, our gracious hostess, for this week’s Poetry Friday Roundup.