Haiku from the Headlines #26: Anniversary Edition

It's been one (whole) year since I started the Haiku from the Headlines series. When I started doing the series, it was an effort to practice my craft from as many avenues as possible. I felt like I had been drifting away from poetry and needed to rekindle the relationship and put in the work - reading and writing - that would make me the poet I want to be. 

I had kept poetry off of the blog for a long time because I wanted to focus on having my poems published in journals - many of which won't publish work if it's been seen on your blog already. But I figured out that I could do still have work on the blog by sharing some things I didn't intend to publish - writing exercises. In celebration of this haikunniversay, here's a re-cap of the most popular haiku from the series.

What's evident to me is that headlines and news in general are grim. And as I continue to read headlines, it doesn't seem like the grim is lessening. At least there are poems to help us/me make sense of it all. See recap below.  

Michigan prosecutors consider charges in Renisha McBride case

Consider her: threat

Black. Bruised blue, pleading. Later, 

Skull with bullet lodged. 

Forest Whitaker on The Butler: 'We've gone from living in chains to leader of the free world.' 

Bonsai tree et al 

Optimism: the new struggle 

Zen is the new black 

Program give young illegal immigrants a ticket to self-respect 

roses multiplying 

Hola Dona Julia 

sewing to make ends 

Another baby dies 

smothered with sorry 

tiny shadow left behind 

circumstance can kill 

The Two Indias

Dancers from a New Delhi troupe. Credit: Zahra Gordon, 2010

In 2010, I was lucky enough to be selected to be a part of the Oxfam International Youth Partnerships conference - a forum for young people dedicated to social change. It was a great opportunity, but in hindsight, I'm learning that there are two Indias and I only saw one.

Raising KFC Children

Yesterday, an employee of KFC in Trinidad poured hot oil over customer following a dispute. Read more here: Hot Oil For KFC Customer

If you want to know how something as simple as a WRONG ORDER at Killing Foolish Creoles can turn into slaps across the face, second-degree burns and assault charges, let me tell you a story. 

Today, I witnessed a woman publicly berating her daughter. She called the child, who looked like she was in Standard 3 or 4, stupid and told her repeatedly that she would beat her when they got home. She announced to another woman nearby that the child had "licks to get" when they reach home. The other woman laughed and said she too big. This other woman didn't say, "You shouldn't beat your daughter and you shouldn't call her stupid in public." And trust me I am sorry I didn't say anything. Why was the child subject to this? The child did not come out of the classroom in time for the taxi to take her home. So the mother had to go and pick her up from school. This is the status quo: beating children for being children; for missing the school-bus,  for coming home with their clothes dirty, for inconveniencing you when they're not the ones who asked to be here; beating children.

And then everybody want to ask how this could happen? How de man could slap an employee for getting his order wrong? If the slapping is only alleged then, how could the employee follow him out to the street and douse him in hot oil? How could people be saying that this man deserved what he got? How could this much violence ensue over a TT$30 piece of chicken? If the mother I saw today is any answer to these questions then it could happen because the status quo is LICKS. And if you are advocating and perpetuating violence in your homes when things like this happen do not blame the service industry; do not blame the education system. Blame yourselves because these are the violent KFC children you have raised.