The 10th Annual Poetry Invitational at SJMA

Santa Clara Poet Laureate Mike McGee invited some poets to write ekphrastic poems based on the exhibits of San Jose Museum of Art. Ekphrasis is the vivid, often dramatic, verbal description of a visual work of art, either real or imagined.

My piece was based on ’History of Science II’ by Catherine Wagner in the Gibson gallery.

Take a moment to look at the chromogenic print.

For a more immersive experience, please visit the San Jose Museum of Art.

The library of souls

——————————

This is me-

All my emotions sorted into shelves

Then labeled and archived.

One shelf is for my mother-

Who learned early in life

That the only way a woman could live with dignity

Was by earning her own living.

Her face burned in the summer sun 

When she walked home from the school she taught in

So she could save money and buy us fruits.

Another shelf is for my father- 

Who was stabbed 27 times and left for dead 

By his best friend of 27 years.

Here you can see the memories of my sister- 

Whose existence I don’t acknowledge anymore.

Because I don’t want to explain 

Why I have not spoken to her in years.

The covalent bonds of friendship

Have kept me sane through the years.

Otherwise, 

I’d have fallen apart a long time ago.

And right here 

Is me organizing my thoughts-

All those solitary moments 

I spend overthinking.

Then neatly page mark and 

Color code them in my journals.

But the most complicated relationship 

I have is with myself -

Love, Hate, Love, Hate, Hate, Love

What if I am not good enough?

What if I don’t deserve happiness

For something I might have done

A long time ago?

Then I say to myself-

You are doing the best you can 

In all possible circumstances.

Love, Hate, Love, Hate, Love, Love

Now, take a step back.

Look beyond the wooden frame 

Of this curio cabinet.

(This curio cabinet)

There are thousands of stories just like mine 

(In the corners, can you see?)

Yours and yours and yours.

An atheneum of human stories,

This is a library of souls.

Book review: Becoming by Michelle Obama

Becoming by Michelle Obama
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book resonated with me because a lot of my own personal beliefs were reaffirmed. For example, I believe that education is a way to achieve freedom when your resources are finite. I believe in speaking for those who are brushed aside. I believe in owning my story and saying it out loud.

The book is divided into three parts- her childhood in South Side of Chicago, her life before and after meeting Barack Obama, and her life as the First Lady. Throughout the book, she has mentioned her insecurities of not fitting in - something a lot of women feel when they have achieved something substantial. When I got admission to my B-school, I kept thinking that it is a dream. And I will wake up pining for a life that I could only dream of. Constant criticism bothers me even now and I often forget that people who engage in judging others often do so to feel good about themselves. Their own achievements too few to keep them focused in their own business.

There are several lessons to learn here. One of the important take away was that all the world saw in 2008 was the first African-American President of the United States. But the Obamas led a grassroots level campaign with a message that made a large number of people turn up to vote on election day. It was no fluke. It was hard work, determination, and hope. It opens my heart to the possibility that as a first generation immigrant, with an unusual name (for some), I too can follow my dreams to where they may lead me. That fear is for another day.

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