On Wednesday in seminar we continued our poetry presentations.  My favorite poem which was recited was Brendon’s poem “Check Mate” by Lucio Mariani.  The poem spoke about a man’s life and death and his hopes for the future. The speaker of this poem was deceased, and once this fact became clear the poem acquired a very dark and interesting perspective.  This poem struck me because it brought me back to September 11, 2001 and made me think about the lives of all of the people lost on that day, including my cousin firefighter John A. Santore.  What if these people could speak? What would they say?  What would they think about how their loved ones have moved on…or in some cases, haven’t? This particular speaker was thinking about his father who is most likely all alone now that his son has passed away, and his mother who was never part of his life.  He hopes that now that he is dead, people will remember him and his life.  This poem is a unique tribute to the victims of September 11th, because it is told from the point of view of one of the deceased victims.  I have read books where the story is told from the dead, but I had never read a poem where the speaker was deceased, and I appreciate this poem for its unique voice.

In addition to “Check Mate” I enjoyed focusing on the rhythm of poetry.  I enjoyed listening to Rob recite his poem by Langston Hughes with piano accompaniment.  It felt as if the poem came with it’s own soundtrack, and it was easy to fall into the rhythm of the words when it was presented in this format.

~Naomi