I continue to attempt to read more poetry as a part of this entire exercise. I guess some good does come of being stubborn. I’m clearly not an expert but I’m steadily buying into the process. I guess it helps that I’m trying to take my time with free verse. I’m still not sure of what I truly like and what I don’t but I guess that’s part of the process?
Andrea Gibson’s Pole Dancing to Gospel Hymns is a treatise on polarities, using words to spur a physical reaction. The title suggests it too. Gibson talks about people affected by war, gender, race, religion, and sexual identity. Without having known Gibson’s core credentials or watched any of her spoken word videos, I could still identify that most of these poems had originally been crafted for live performances. They possess a soul of their own, meant to be in your face. As you come to terms with it, you let yourself absorb the gravitas, slowly yet steadily. The poems are an eclectic mix, an active commentary on gender and politics prominently. Titanic’ questions the world and its doings in an existential manner. ‘Stay’ and ‘Love Poem’ are odes to lovers lost and found. ‘Photograph’ captures a moment in time, a reminiscence of the good old days gone by without realizing you were in them. ‘El Mozote’ and ‘When the Bough Breaks’ are a recognition of war crimes while ‘For Eli’ talks about the families torn apart by war, particularly the US invasion of Iraq.’ ‘Swing-set’ and ‘Say Yes’ talk about identity struggles and grappling with oneself and society’s expectations of you. The titular ‘Pole Dancer’ rounds out the lot with Gibson’s interpretation of love and is possibly the pick of the lot.
The Read: Gibson’s writing is unabashed, meant to trigger a thought in the reader’s mind. Akin to her live performances, as I discovered later, where her energy and stage presence act as buoys. While writing, she has to rely on the shock value of her writing which drives a fair number of poems in this collection. Since she talks and writes about topics that are typically suppressed in lieu of comfort, reading these makes you think deeply. This kind of poetry feels easy to read relatively, but it’s constantly getting you to ponder the bigger meaning of what is being conveyed. Gibson’s usage of metaphors is excellent and the verse is written with a pacy rhythm. Their own experiences as a queer activist cum performer lend to each of the poems richly, so intricately wound together that you can hear them voice it as you read along. This feels as intimate as pole dancing and as composed as gospel hymns.
Trivia: Andrea Gibson is a regular performer at Take Back the Night events. The movement involves protests against sexual violence and originated with one of the first marches being held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in October 1975, after the murder of a microbiologist, Susan Alexander Speeth, who was stabbed to death while walking home alone. Today it is an international event and non-profit organization with the mission of ending sexual, relationship, and domestic violence in all forms. (Reference)
Andrea has a bunch of performances up on YouTube and this is them at Sofar.
Documentation:
Book: Pole Dancing to Gospel Hymns
Author: Andrea Gibson
Year of Release:
Publisher: 2010