Thirteen Ways of Looking at Poverty*
By Caroline Donnola
I Did you ever notice that if you switch the “t” and the “r” and remove the “v” poverty spells poetry? II They say that we’re looking into this very important issue but we must study it further. III After my father left, my mother insisted we were not poor, we just didn’t have any money. IV I once had a student who told me she would have to miss my class because she didn’t have 50 cents for her carfare. V I gave her two quarters. The next day she came to class and, on her way out, she slipped the coins under my roll book, hoping her humiliation might go unseen. VI Can you imagine there is such a thing as a world poverty clock? Not surprisingly we’re running out of time. VII There once was a war on poverty. It didn’t go well. VIII An 80-year-old man was observed washing windows at McDonalds. I guess he didn’t have a 401K. IX Have you ever noticed how politicians don’t use the word “poor”? According to them, the real victims are the middle class. X Poverty is like a speck of pollen being dragged around the globe from bee to bee. XI Some religious types take a vow of poverty. Couldn’t they take a vow to wipe it out instead? XII She lived in a van with five siblings and insisted that they were not poor. I know people who are worse off, she exclaimed. XIII Give me your tired your poor your huddled masses then douse them with fire to see if they live. Or is that what you do to witches?
*Inspired by “Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird” by Wallace Stevens
Caroline Donnola has been writing poetry since childhood. In 2021, she published The Year That Was: Poems for Troubled Times and is currently working on a new poetry collection. She recently edited A Poet’s Journey: Life, Love, and the River by Harry Kresky. Caroline has been an independent political activist for four decades. After retiring from her position at Independent Voting in 2022, she launched a freelance writing and editing business. This month she is teaching a weekly virtual poetry writing class. She can be contacted via LinkedIn or by email at carolinedonnola3@gmail.com.
Brilliant, as usual, Caroline. Thanks!
Wow, Caroline. So beautiful.