By Aaron
Wage peace with your breath.
Breathe in firemen and rubble,
breathe out whole buildings
and flocks of redwing blackbirds.
Breathe in terrorists and breathe out sleeping children
and freshly mown fields.
Breathe in confusion and breathe out maple trees.
Breathe in the fallen
and breathe out lifelong friendships intact.
Wage peace with your listening:
hearing sirens, pray loud.
Remember your tools:
flower seeds, clothes pins, clean rivers.
Make soup.
Play music, learn the word for thank you in three languages.
Learn to knit, and make a hat.
Think of chaos as dancing raspberries,
imagine grief as the outbreath of beauty
or the gesture of fish.
Swim for the other side.
Wage peace.
Never has the world seemed so fresh and precious.
Have a cup of tea and rejoice.
Act as if armistice has already arrived.
Don’t wait another minute.
Judyth Hill is a significant voice in contemporary American poetry. Her work, largely published from the 1970s onward, reflects the cultural and social shifts of her era, exploring themes of race, gender, and societal transformation. Hill’s poetry is characterized by its directness and unadorned language, a style often associated with the Black Arts Movement, but with a focus on the individual’s experience within a larger social context.
Her poems often feature a conversational tone, drawing readers into intimate moments of reflection. This approach allows Hill to address complex emotions and experiences with a rawness that resonates with readers.
Readers interested in exploring similar styles and themes might find connections with poets like Lucille Clifton and Audre Lorde. These poets, like Hill, used poetry as a tool for social commentary and personal exploration, giving voice to the experiences of Black women in America.
Hakone Zendo 