Looking at Poetry

I really enjoyed the readings from this week. The poems were an interesting departure from more classical literature that had previously been covered. Both the poems share some commonalaties but each have their own tone and voice.
Both of these poems deal with the issues of misconceptions about native Americans and the issues that  arise from that ignorance every day. The first poem by Diane Burns is the softer of the two. It takes a dryer more sarcastic tone to Chrystos poem, which is filled with rage and desolation. Both writers deal with the struggle of overcoming deep stereotypes within and through their work. They both utilizes a dark humor that at times seems a bit macabre.
We are supposed to write about how we personally relate to these works. I do not think that I can honestly do that. I do not have any experience with what these two people have gone through. I have never been brutally and systematically discriminated against. I can not empathize with them. That does not however mean that I don't care. That raw nerve that these poems get to is amazing. I might not be able to understand their situation but I can understand exhaustion, I can understand rage, I can understand isolation and fear. These poems reach more than just people who can understand, they reach to the heart of what makes us human.