Response to Patricia Smith's Poetry Reading

Patricia Smith, recovering from a cold, stepped up to the podium and began with a bittersweet yet resounding poem about a sixth grade class she worked with in Miami. The timbre of her voice changed, and suddenly she was penetrating passion, strength, and energy. I couldn’t wait to hear the rest of what she had to read to us!

Her poetry was given a body and richness only her voice could provide. I felt as though she writes for us to listen to her words; not just read them. She had varied speed and power, and did not hesitate to allow for full breaks of silence as necessary. Smith does dialects very well, and it really made the experience notable. I think if we had listened to her read one or two of her poems while we were reading Blood Dazzler it would have made more sense and carried more meaning.

I thoroughly enjoyed hearing about her writing process. She researched, interviewed many people, and even looked at photos the associated press could not print because they were too grisly. I still wouldn’t say that I loved all of her poems, but I understood them and loved her reading. I compare the thirty-four stanza poem about the abandoned nursing home residents who died to Walt Whitman’s Leaves of Grass. I understand how the form and content functioned to underline and support the message, but that doesn’t mean I enjoy it. The overarching theme I gathered from her readings and explanations was that Blood Dazzler is intelligently trying to make sense of a catastrophic event through research and personal insights. Attending Smith’s poetry reading gave me further insights to her writing, and a greater appreciation for her work.