Tea Party #17 ~ Poetry ~ Trans•nationalism
Featured Martin Espada. larger version
The Republic of Poetry: Trans•nationalism in Word & Action | Oscar Bermeo
The poetry of Martín Espada can be called political, but that would only limit the breadth and power of his words; a more precise definition would be poetry of the “political imagination.” The Republic of Poetry, Espada’s eighth poetic collection, is filled with images that speak to his political imagination, not only abroad but here in the United States, as well.
The Republic of Poetry shines a magnifying glass on the language of the oppressed and the oppressor. By highlighting and elevating the experiences of the everyday citizen of the world, Espada’s work brings a focus to the fact that poetry is a breathing, living neighbor that is ever present in the various struggles of the disenfranchised. Likewise, by exposing the shallow rhetoric of dictators as wasted language, Espada follows in the tradition of Walt Whitman, who said the duty of the poet is “to cheer up slaves and horrify despots.”
This poetic tradition brings Espada to present-day Chilé, the home of legendary poeta Pablo Neruda and former dictator Augusto Pinochet, and the origin point for Espada’s The Republic of Poetry. Espada brings his readers through a nation that still remembers when poetry was a punishable offense, a nation that now finds every opportunity to praise these poets for their actions of witness and defiance.
This praise is also reflected in the second section of his book, as Espada brings to light the work of both nationally recognized and unheralded poets who continue to push poetry forward with their hard work. Also included is a quick stab at institutions/poetic pretenders who may continue to produce letters but not necessarily poetry.
Espada ends the book with a visit back to his childhood home in East Brooklyn, New York, where despite the best of poetic intentions, the reality behind the door is clear—war continues on.
So then, what is the point of poetry? Has a poem ever saved a person from torture? Has a poem ever spoken up for someone on trial? Will a poem go out and vote? Will it raise a placard and march in protest? Clearly, the poem will not do these things, but it can prove witness to injustice and it can document the inactions of a country that rallies to poetry when threatened (take note of the abundance of post–9/11 verse) but returns to the hollow speech of its policymakers when it proves convenient.
Four Poems by Featured Poet | Martín Espada