This poem is in response to Ambriehl’s video (attached) based on the poem “The Earth Shakes”
Have you looked outside today friend?
Did you wander through the canals of familiarity?
Let the rivers of concrete pull your feet in a direction they knew by heart.
Are the gentle bustles of your city like a lullaby?
The kind that is soft and dozing, lulling you as you travel.
Did you bask in the warmth of comfort?
Cocoon yourself in the soft fabrics of safety, a fluffy shield of security.
Did you fill the air with the rhythms of quiet?
A docile peace reserved for the inner caverns of your ears alone.
Did the branches of nature weave a net over you?
One with small holes, so only careful sunlight could seep through and caress you.
Did you look over your vast kingdom?
Feel the waves of sanctuary, and bask in your impregnable haven.
But friend…
When you looked outside today, did you see?
Can you hear that distant marching and the voices that scream?
The filth that crawls into crevices and violates our screens
Did you witness morality crumbling?
White lips that spew lies and silence the rainbow of oppression
Can you see the pain in the streets?
Pyramids of tears and waste creating a child playgrounds.
The world is burning
Do you see it?
For your dance video, it illustrated an erratic (in a good way!) response that I believed that you were representing Earth, shaking in anger (as I assumed in Ambriehl’s video) and your dance served to shock viewers as a response, in hopes to remind them of something…though it lacked what and why. [ALSO, YOUR BEDROOM LOOKS COSY, CAN I DROP BY?]
I literally got chills reading your poem. It lulls you in a sweet memory before it changes its tone completely. It’s frightening, but it works to shake the reader up and remember the world is going down in chaos. It’s the comfort that’s there and then you take it away, describing utter darkness in their wake. It’s effective too, in the way it questions the reader and although they may or may not have answered to it, you provide them with one anyway that fits to their comfort AND their fear. Y’all did well ✨
I like the use of the word ‘friend’ in the poem. There’s a certain risk or danger in its gentleness. I can see you responding directly to the kind of shift that happens in the video. I wonder what other choices there are as a response, rather than necessarily illustration, in relation to the video? Well done.
The video: I love that moment when the shadow moves across the empty page. I could have watched more of that moment… ordinarily I would have found the abrupt shift into the second phase of the work a bit blunt, and perhaps didactic, but there’s something about the way you used sound in the second part that actually made it chilling. Well done.
Ambriehl’s video is incredibly important and relevant as well as stylistically beautiful. The use of contrast between the two worlds worked really well, the first idle simple world in black and white while the real world is packed with colour. Sound also plays a big part in this contrast, with calming music being played over the first world while an unrelenting clock ticks, reminding us that we’re running out of time in the second world. It’s interesting how you’ve compared the ideal version of life with what is unfortunately the reality for a lot of people.
Meg’s poem in response was well written and followed it pretty closely in terms of content and linearity. I really enjoyed that each stanza began with a question being posed, it really implicates the reader in the poem and causes them to question things.
Meghan’s video is soft, calming and graceful. There is a real sense of homeliness, of freedom and peace (which ties back to Ambriehl’s video nicely). I think it could have been interesting if you’d explored this theme of duality, but overall, really nice work.
Ambriehl’s poem conveys the same sense of homeliness, especially in the last line. I like that it’s not necessarily a description of Meghan’s video, but rather an expansion or interpretation. Beautifully written, of course, great job to both of you!
Ambriehl’s video is really interesting. It lulled me into a false sense of security before the second part began. Really interesting and thought provoking. I really love your soundscape.
The poem really fits the video well and I think its a great response. It’s very chilling, and Smiljana is right about the word “friend”