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Poetry Sunday: Throwdown by Jena Strong


The readers' social network Goodreads sponsors a poetry contest each month and publishes the winner in its monthly newsletter. Their last winner was by a poet named Jena Strong and it certainly struck a "strong" chord with me.

 In thinking about a poem to feature for my Mother's Day post, I read Strong's poem again and it seemed to speak to me of mothers and their unconditional love of their children no matter who they are or what road they choose or are forced to take in life. And so, in honor of the day, rather than a saccharin, tear-jerking verse, let's enjoy a gritty, full-bodied poem about acceptance of people and their lives as lived.

 Throwdown
by Jena Strong

 give me the drag queens, dolled up and delicious
the two moms bickering over the dishes
the orphans, adopted, the chosen, the trannies
the witches, the protestors, tattooed laughing grannies
the boys wearing tutus and all the shirtless
daughters of the revolution playing basketball
on the broken courts of lost fathers
the failures, the forgotten, the throwdown, the freak show
the hurts and the heartbreaks, the hassles and headaches
the beggar, the baron, the shelter, the clambake
trade in the cynical, the stubborn, the splintering showdown
because it's time to unite now, yes it's time to ignite now
it's time to pick up the phone to say, It's me and I love you

 Is your mother out there somewhere waiting for a call from you today? Time to pick up the phone to say, "It's me and I love you."
Happy Mother's Day!

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Comments

  1. AnonymousNovember 22, 2013 at 9:51 AM

    Just seeing this post now! Six months later, and it might as well always be mother's day :). Thank you, for sharing it. Wishing you well.

    ReplyDelete

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