‘Exercises on Dealing with News of a Child Marriage Somewhere’
— Hannah Cohen
Inhale: the girl wants to be nothing but wind,
nothing but the thing trees bow to
In a world of words such as post-facts, post-truth, post-whatever, poetry serves as our view and looking glass in a tumultuous future. When I want to learn something new, I turn to those who are writing the pains I’m unable to articulate, which is what draws me to this powerful poem.
Divided into six sections, words like identify, define, imagine, answer strike against the pain and horror of the poem’s subject. There’s some detachment found in the speaker’s voice but also proximity—you too see the “crime scenes that aren’t yet”, know “the hard softness” that this sort of loss brings. Indeed, this poem is an exercise in processing the unforgivable acts of violence and manipulation, one that turns those dark moments into mirrors to reflect our own selves and struggles.