"The Elizabethans, more perceptive than later critics, feared [poets] as witches and hanged them as fomenters of treason." Ireland: a Concise History.
I ran across this quote as I was reading the history of Ireland in preparation for a fall trip to the one place in my heritage I have not yet visited. I have been chewing on the quote ever since and have written one poem in response. I do not think poets are nearly as powerful in our culture as they were in Elizabethan times in Ireland, but even here and now words have power, and those who use them courageously and well can have an impact. In my journey into the realm of poetry, I have spent many hours among poets and have come to appreciate their clear vision and honest reactions to this world in which we live. The ones I know are, for the most part, sensitive people in tune with others and the world around them in a way that can offer a fresh perspective to the rest of us if we have ears to hear and eyes to see. I am convinced the world would be a much better place if we spent less time listening to the politicians and pundits and much more time listening to poets.
Grace and Peace,
Donna Sue
