The poetry of witness …

… The Unfinished Cathedral - Image Journal. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)

In the Q&A afterwards, an earnest young poet asked Forché for advice about writing “political poetry.” She wasn’t exactly discouraging, but her reply was pointed: “You cannot sit down and decide you’re going to write a political poem,” she cautioned. “You can’t write out of intentional consciousness. If you want to write political poetry, become political.”

Given what Forché witnessed, she had little choice. For most of the rest of us, politics is far less urgent, and it will not do to pretend otherwise.