{"id":2282,"date":"2020-06-01T07:49:09","date_gmt":"2020-06-01T06:49:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.kcl.ac.uk\/english\/?p=2282"},"modified":"2020-06-11T11:14:31","modified_gmt":"2020-06-11T10:14:31","slug":"covid-19-3-poems-that-can-be-a-source-of-inspiration-during-uncertain-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.kcl.ac.uk\/english\/2020\/06\/01\/covid-19-3-poems-that-can-be-a-source-of-inspiration-during-uncertain-times\/","title":{"rendered":"COVID-19: 3 Poems that Can be a Source of Inspiration During Uncertain Times"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n\r\n\r\n

by Nura Haji<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Nura Haji is an undergraduate student studying at King\u2019s. Here Nura reflects on the power of poetry in times of uncertainty.<\/em><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

There is something exciting about the build up towards the beginning of summer. Year in, year out, we are teased by the burst shots of a fast approaching spring, with strokes of sunlight and the return of longer days formerly stolen by winter.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

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This summer the tables have turned. The global outbreak of COVID-19 has swept nations under a vast amount of uncertainty. Livelihoods have been disrupted with universities, schools, and public spaces shut across the globe.

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The spring of the global pandemic felt different to any I have experienced. Yet the opening to T.S. Eliot’s poem The Waste Land <\/em>became even more familiar to me:<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

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April is the cruellest month, breeding
Lilacs out of the dead land, mixing
Memory and desire, stirring Dull roots with spring rain<\/p>\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Inspired by the sense of connection found in Eliot\u2019s words, here are 3 poems that can be a source of inspiration as many find themselves trying to persevere amidst uncertainty:<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

1: ‘Coming’ by Philip Larkin from The Less Deceived <\/em>(2011)<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
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It will be spring soon,
It will be spring soon \u2013
And I, whose childhood
Is a forgotten boredom,
Feel like a child
Who comes on a scene
Of adult reconciling,<\/p>\r\n

And can understand nothing
But the unusual laughter,
And starts to be happy.<\/p>\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Larkin is often memorable for his playful nickname, Hermit of Hull, emblematic of many decades spent as a recluse. Larkin spent most of his years between a series of flings and books, attempting to navigate his poetic and literary career as he grasped with the bleakness of life.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

The poem ‘Coming’ however, shines. Writing on the arrival of spring, this two-stanza poem anticipates the arrival of a more vibrant season as the speaker longs for ‘longer evenings’. The repetition of ‘it will be spring soon’, almost chant-like, omits a sound we should all attempt to iterate given these turbulent times. Let us repeat, with Larkin’s speaker, that this will pass; as we move into longer summer days, a series of changes will come before us.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

2: ‘Forces of Victri’ by Linton Kwesi Johnson from Selected Poems<\/em> (2006)<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
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wi dressed in red
an wi feelin dread
wi dressed in green
an wi feelin mean
wi dressed in purple a
n wi dressed in yellow
wi dressed in blue
an wi comin rite through<\/p>\r\n

we’re di forces af victri
an wi comin rite through<\/p>\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Linton Kwesi Johnson stands an iconic figure in the West Indian community of British poets. His innovative contributions to dub-poetry are tied with his political illumination of the social and racial injustices of 1970s Britain. This poem, available in print from his spoken album Forces of Victory (1979), transports a pulsating image of continuation, of perseverance, amidst tensions during the Notting Hill Carnival. Listen to Kwesi-Johnson read ‘Forces of Victri’.<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

3. Walt Whitman, ‘Song of the Open Road’ from Leaves of Grass<\/em> (1855)<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
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Afoot and light-hearted I take to the open road,
Healthy, free, the world before me,
The long brown path before me leading wherever I choose.<\/p>\r\n

Henceforth I ask not good-fortune, I myself am good-fortune, Henceforth I whimper no more, postpone no more, need nothing,
Done with indoor complaints, libraries, querulous criticisms, Strong and content I travel the open road.<\/p>\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

As many of us find ourselves working from home, self-isolating, and social distancing, it may be daunting to find inspiration indoors.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Whitman’s ‘Song of the Open Road’ remains a rich poem that elegantly captures the freedom nature enriches us with. Simply put, it is a reminder to continue and remember that ‘the world [is] before me’. The spirit of community is central to Whitman’s ode; let us all collectively protect one another by sticking to guidelines set for social distancing, travelling only where and when necessary. The PHE advises that ‘you can also go for a walk outdoors if you stay more than 2 metres from others’, so why not embark on a stroll and take breaks from the indoors? In Whitman’s words, ‘It is safe\u2014I have tried it\u2014my own feet have tried it well\u2014be not detain’d!’<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Reading poetry is a wholly moving experience. Immersing yourself in the world of these poems can be a reassurance during times of personal and political upheaval.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Why stop at reading poetry? It may be helpful tapping into your own creative faculties and attempting to write a poem. Remember that there is no formula for poetry; simply take pen to paper or fingers to keyboard and jot down words and phrases that make sense to you and help you express your emotions in these trying times.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n

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Blog posts on King\u2019s English represent the views of the individual authors and neither those of the English Department, nor of King\u2019s College London.
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