Jone Rush MacCulloch
  • Blog
  • About
  • Poetry Friday Details and Hosts
  • Children's Books
  • Journals and Chapbooks
  • Mixed Media Art and Photography
  • Blog
  • About
  • Poetry Friday Details and Hosts
  • Children's Books
  • Journals and Chapbooks
  • Mixed Media Art and Photography

Poetry Friday

2/11/2021

 
Picture
Poetry Friday roundup is at Molly Hogan at Nix the Comfort Zone. She has me thinking about an Artist’s Prayer.  Her photos are stunning as is her words.
An email from American Academy of Poets Educator Newsletter arrived in my mailbox today. It has several offerings for Black History Month.  I discovered this one by Marilyn Nelson. Fitting as we are in the midst of vaccinations.

Making History
Marilyn Nelson 
Blue and White Orlon Snowflake Sweater, Blue Snowpants, Red Galoshes
          —Smoky Hill AFB, Kansas, 1955

Somebody took a picture of a class
standing in line to get polio shots,
and published it in the Weekly Reader.
We stood like that today. And it did hurt.
Mrs. Liebel said we were Making History,
but all I did was sqwunch up my eyes and wince.
Making History takes more than standing in line
believing little white lies about pain.
Mama says First Negroes are History:
First Negro Telephone Operator,
First Negro Opera Singer At The Met,
First Negro Pilots, First Supreme Court Judge.
That lady in Montgomery just became a First
by sqwunching up her eyes and sitting there.

Copyright © 2014 by Marilyn Nelson. From Beloit Poetry Journal, Split This Rock Edition. Reprinted from Split This Rock’s The Quarry: A Social Justice Poetry Database.
jama link
2/12/2021 08:27:48 am

Enjoyed Marilyn's poem, Jone! Thanks for sharing. :)

Linda Baie link
2/12/2021 01:21:03 pm

It's a powerful poem statement, Jone, wishing that here in the 21st century we were still not having "firsts", but glad for them anyway! I don't remember getting the shot but do remember spending summers without swimming!

Alan j Wright
2/12/2021 04:14:45 pm

This is a powerful poem Jone. It is a poem documenting history, which ironically I based my post for this week on. There is in these words much in the way of prompting thought and memory. Thank you for bringing Marilyn Nelson's poem to our attention.

Carol Varsalona link
2/12/2021 07:55:28 pm

Jone, the poem you chose is quite a good one for now. As a little girl, I also remembered standing in the school line waiting for the polio shot. Then, remembered that one of my classmates got polio and we visited him. It was so sad huddling around his bed. "Making History takes more than standing in line
believing little white lies about pain." - What a great line!

Kay Jernigan McGriff
2/13/2021 07:01:35 am

Yes, this is a powerful poem. Thank you for sharing it. I am glad for those willing to go first and lead the way, even those not recognized by history.

Janice Marie Scully link
2/13/2021 02:00:24 pm

Such an amazing poem with the image of Rosa Parks scrunching up her eyes in the mind of a girl getting a Polio vaccine. Lovely. I'm a fan of Marilyn Nelson and have several of her books for kids.

Gail Aldous
2/13/2021 07:04:39 pm

Jone, thank you for sharing Marylin Nelson's powerful poem. Her poems are always excellent. I agree with Carol "Making History takes more than standing in line/believing little white lies about pain." is a great line. I'm not sure what vaccination I was receiving, but I do remember waiting in a crowed line too long and hearing crying kids.

Molly Hogan link
2/14/2021 05:23:45 am

Jone, this poem is such a great choice. Like so many others, I especially appreciate the line about "making history." This has me pondering the difference between making history and living history.

Ruth link
2/14/2021 06:59:01 am

Here's to sqwunching up our eyes and doing what we have to do.


Comments are closed.

    Author

    All photos and poems in these blog posts are copyrighted to Jone Rush MacCulloch 2006- Present. Please do not copy, reprint or reproduce without written permission from me.

    Subscribe
    Picture

    Categories

    All
    #2021NaPoWriMo
    2021 National Poetry Month
    #2021NPM
    2021 Progressive Poem
    2022
    2022 National Poetry Month
    2022 Progressive Poem
    2023 National Poetry Month
    2023 Progressive Poem
    2024 National Poetry Month
    2024 Progressive Poem
    2025 National Poetry Month
    Allan Wolf
    Amy Ludwig Vanderwater
    Amy Souza
    Anastasia Suen
    Animals
    Aquarium
    Art
    Astoria
    Aurora Borealis
    Author Interviews
    Author Lisa Fipps
    Autumn
    Awards
    Bees
    Bells
    Beth Brody
    Betsy Fanco
    Birds
    Black History Month
    Book Give Away
    Book Quotes
    Books
    Bridges
    Bridget Magee
    Brú Na Bóinne
    Buffy Silverman
    B & W
    Calendar
    California
    Candlwick
    Cape Perpetua
    Carnivorous Plants
    Carol Labuzetta
    Carrie Fountain
    Cascade Poem
    Catherine
    Celtic New Year
    Cento
    Charles R Smith
    Charles Waters
    Childhood
    Chris Baron
    Classic Found Poetry Palooza
    Clouds
    Coast
    Collage
    Colors
    Columbia Gorge
    Cosmos
    Creative Community
    Crows
    Curious
    Current Events
    CYBILS
    David Elliott
    Debut Book
    Denise Krebs
    Dodoitsu
    Doors
    Earth Day
    Edgar Allan Poe
    Ekphrastic
    Ekphrastic Poetry
    Ekphratic Poetry
    Elfchen
    Erasure Poetry
    Exphrastic Poetry
    Family
    #februllage2022
    Fernanda Valentino
    Ferns
    Fibonacci
    First Drafts
    Flowers
    Flowers]
    Folk Tale Week
    Food
    #foundhearts
    Found Poems
    Free Verse
    Fundraiser
    Fungi
    Garden
    Gardens
    Georgia Heard
    Ghost Towns
    Ginko
    Giveaway
    Goals
    Golden Shovel
    #gratiku
    Grief
    Growth
    Haibun
    Haiga
    #haiku
    Haiku
    #haikudiary
    Halloween
    Heart
    Heidi Mordhorst
    Helen Frost
    Hope
    HOP TO IT
    IBBY
    Ice
    Imperfect II
    #Inktober
    Interviews
    Invitation
    Ireland
    Irene Latham
    Izchak Perlman
    Jama Alphabet Soup
    Janet Clare Fagal
    Janet Wong
    January 2023
    Joanne Fritz
    Joanne Rossmassler Fritz
    Johanna Wright
    John O Donohue
    Joyce Sidman
    Joy Harjo
    Jr.
    Kat Apel
    Koi
    Laura Purdie Salas
    Laura Shovan
    Leaves
    Lee Bennett Hopkins
    Light
    Linda Baie
    Linda Mitchell
    Lita Judge
    Liz Garton Scanlon
    Love
    Mandalas
    Marcie Finchum Atkins
    Margaret Simon
    Marilyn Singer
    Mary Lee Hahn
    Memorial Day
    Michelle Barnes
    Michelle Kogan
    Mixed Media
    Moe Phillips
    Monday Musing
    Moon
    Morning
    Morse Code
    Mud Puddle
    Mystery
    Naomi Shihab Nye
    National Arbor Day
    National Poetry Month
    Native Plants
    Natural World
    New Book
    New Growth
    New Year Postcards
    Notebooks
    Ocean
    Oddities
    Odell
    OLW
    One Little Word
    OR
    Oregon Writers' Colony
    Original Art
    Pacific Northwest
    Packard Group National Exhibition
    Painting
    Pamela Sue Johnson
    Pandemic
    Pantoum
    Pat Mora
    Patricia J Franz
    Patterns
    Paulann Petersen
    Paul B. Janeczko
    Peace
    Peonies
    Photography
    Plants
    Poem Anthologies
    #Poemtober
    Poetry
    Poetry Challenge
    Poetry Challenges
    #poetrycommunity
    #poetryforpersistence
    Poetry Friday
    Poetry Friday
    #poetrypals
    Poetry Play
    #poetryplayground
    Poetry Pop-UP
    Poetry Prompts
    Poetry Share
    Poetry Videos
    Pollinators
    Pomelo Books
    Portland Japanese Garden
    PreK
    Process
    Progressive Poem
    Prose And Poetry
    Publishing News
    Queen Anne's Lace
    Rain
    Rainbows
    Randi Soenshine
    Rebecca Brock
    Rebecca Herzog
    Rebecca Kai Doltish
    Rebecca Kai Dotlich
    Recipe Poems
    Redwoods National And State Parks
    Reflcetions
    Renewal
    Reunion
    Reverso
    Revising
    Revision
    Rivers
    Robert Burns Day
    Robert R. Sanders
    Robyn Hood Black
    Rocks
    Rose Cappelli
    Sally Walker
    Sarah Grace Tuttle
    Scotland
    Scottish Gaelic
    #sealeychallenge
    Sean Taylor
    Shadorma
    Shadows
    Shawn Aveningo Sanders
    Signs
    Sky
    #smallpoems
    #smallpoemsdecember
    #smallpoemsjanuary
    Snow
    Snowman
    Snowmen
    South Carolina
    Spark
    Spiritual Journey Thursday
    Spiritual Thursday
    Spooky
    #SpookySpectacularFoundPoems
    Spooky Spectacular Found Poems
    Sports
    Spring
    Spring Snow
    St Brighid's Cross
    St. Brigid
    #StopAsianHate
    Students
    Student Work
    Summer
    Summer Poetry Swap
    Summer Solstice
    Sunday Solace
    Sunrise
    Sunset
    Super Bowl Sunday
    Sylvia Vardell
    Tabatha Yeatts
    Tanka
    Taylor Mali
    Teacher Notes
    Teaching Poetry
    Texas Womens University
    The Hill Of Tara
    #theinklings
    The Inklings
    The Last Bookstore
    The Poeming Pigeon
    The Poetry Box
    The Poet's Studio
    The Sealey Challenge
    This Poem Is A Nest\
    Tracks
    Trees
    Tritina
    Tualatin Wildlife Refuge
    TWU Student Work
    Ukraine
    Universe
    USBBY
    Verse Of Ages
    Veterans
    Veteran's Day
    Vietnam
    Virtual Exhibit
    Visual Haiku
    Water
    Wildwood
    William Stafford
    Winners
    Winter
    Winter Poetry Swap
    Winter Solstice
    WIP
    Wnter
    Word;less Wednesday
    Wordless Wednesday
    Wordy 30
    Worless Wednesday
    Worm Moon
    Writing Event
    Yosemite National Park

    Archives

    March 2025
    February 2025
    January 2025
    December 2024
    November 2024
    October 2024
    August 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020

Proudly powered by Weebly