Hey readers! These past few weeks in ASTU we have been looking into different poems that address the issue of trauma, particularly around the terrorist attacks of 9/11. The majority of the poems were quite moving and thought provoking, however one poem definitely stood out to me. Juliana Spahr’s poem titled Poem Written from November 30, 2002 to March 27, 2003 represented both anger and love, displaying the current situations of our world. Some state that Spahr writes with a tone of anger, however, I believe she is in a state of realization with what is happening in our global community. Throughout the poem the speaker is in a constant battle between individual intimacy and global issues: “In bed , when I stroke the down of yours cheeks, I stroke also the carrier battle group ships, the guided missile cruisers, and the guided missile destroyers” (74).  The speaker seems to be very uneasy with allowing herself to have any intimate moments because she is aware of what’s happening on the other side of the world.

The entire poem was very captivating however, one section discusses how our world is viewed from space; how astronauts have seen it: “In space, the earth is a firm circle of atmosphere and the ocean and the land exist in equilibrium. The forces of nature are in the blue and the white and the green” (34). I’ve never really fixated on this image until now, how beautiful it must be. I am guilty of getting so caught up in all the war and horror that our world contains that I often catch myself believing that this is the way our earth has always been and that it will always be this way. Although, when I think of our world as it appears from outer space it becomes peaceful and it makes me realize how insignificant we truly are. I understand that our world is much more complex than just how it appears from the space, but something about that image is very grounding. It forces me to think about my actions and about the things I find myself getting worked up over or about what I allow to consume my mind. This poem has forced me into reflection. I simply wish that more people could be effected by these words.

Thanks for reading!

Devon Coady

Works Cited:

Spahr, Juliana. This Connection of Everyone with Lungs: Poems. Berkeley: U of           California, 2005. Print.