I know that many of the Poetry Friday regulars get the same array of daily poetry newsletters and so this poem landed in your inbox too. But it has stuck with me and compelled me to read it over and over again.
It is a love letter to terror.
It elaborates on all the wonders of life that would not exist without the darkness of terror. Here on the brink of the winter solstice in the northern hemisphere, the coexistence of darkness and light are played out right outside our windows. Here in the United States, the coexistence of darkness and light are played out in the graft of politics and the care of neighbors for each other.
Last night in a conversation with like-minded folks, we talked about the importance of inviting grief or depression or negative thoughts to come in for a cup of cocoa; the importance of letting those visitors have their say and then kindly showing them to the door. I feel like this poem does just that, treating terror with merciful respect, while celebrating all the positive that exists because of terror.
The (Palestinian) poet writes
“I wrote this poem because I was thinking about security—how, in its name, we wage wars, round up political activists, install surveillance cameras, build walls, carry more weapons. How we cross to the other side of the street when we see someone approaching, avoid love, suspect kindness, and villainize the stranger.”
—Dalia Taha
and the translator writes
“While translating Dalia Taha’s ‘Enter Terror,’ I kept looking over my shoulder to check that ‘terror’ was, in fact, what was being so tenderly addressed—and not something much less sinister. The speaker in this poem cannot imagine a world without terror. If this poem acts subversively, it does so by repurposing the worst shape of fear—terror—as companion; like love, it keeps us restlessly awake to the world’s beauty and ruin.”
—Sara Elkamel
Here are a couple of my favorite parts of Enter Terror:
Without you, no one would read the same sentence
a second time, breathless,
before setting the book aside
to pace from one room to the next.
And without you, there would be no lines to draw
under striking lines in the books of poetry and philosophy
that now rest serenely by your bed,
after having moved universes;
after changing worlds.
.
…without you
people would not gather on pitch black nights;
they would not light candles or invent lullabies.
Without you, no one would ever know
that stories told in whispers
are the only way to contend with night.
Which lines resonated with you?
Michelle has this week’s Poetry Friday round up at MoreArt4All.
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(stack of books photo via Unsplash)
A(nother) Year of Reading 
This is really something to keep and ponder, Mary Lee. Each time I read it, I think of the word, “huddle”, connecting because that’s what people do to feel safe, or warm, connected! I especially have liked “there would be no lines to draw” from my own thought that people, me included, draw those lines to “keep” something nearer, to aid them in their lives. Thank you for bringing this to us! Happy Holidays!
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Thank you, Mary Lee. I keep thinking about “they would not light candles or invent lullabies.” May you have a calm and peaceful holiday.
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It strikes me that “without you people would not gather on dark nights; they would not light candles or invent lullabies.” This relationship to terror is fascinating. Thanks for stirring me into deep thinking. (I promise I didn’t read Rose’s comment before I wrote my own. Like minds…)
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Mary Lee, this poem is everything I love about poetry. I’m with Rose, “would not light candles or invent lullabies.” That breaks my heart and soothes my heart at the same time. I feel like the child that the candle and lullaby is for but also the one that must find both for a child in need. An amazing poem. Thank you.
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Wow! What powerful words! Chiming in with everyone else about the line about lighting candles and inventing lullabies standing out. It’s really why art is so important — not only free expression, of course, but because it helps both creator and receiver cope with grief, sadness, terror, etc. Artists and writers keep the light of hope burning especially in turbulent times.
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This resonated so deeply:
Thanks for sharing this, Mary Lee.
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Thank you for sharing an excerpt from this poem. This is what I love about poetry. One minute it is the peacefulness of the snow falling on Christmas morn, then the silliness of a childhood event, then expressing so poignantly, living with terror, as in this poem. Poetry is varied, emotional, and powerful. Wow… May God bless all those who live these words. Wishing you a peaceful Holiday. Merry Christmas.
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Isn’t it ironic that for security, “we wage wars, round up political activists, install surveillance cameras, build walls, carry more weapons.” This makes me think about the song “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” written in 1939 and connected to Jews during WWII escaping over the rainbow. https://danperforms.com/blog/2021/05/17/story-behind-song-over-the-rainbow/ As Linda mentioned above, thanks for inviting us to ponder here.
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Mary Lee, there were so many lines that touched me but this one is a reality that strikes me, repurposing the worst shape of fear—terror—as companion.
Within the folds of grief, terror lurks and today’s words by the PF poets helped the darkness turn to light.
Happy Holidays.
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This one stopped me — the flower. Thank god for flowers.
Without you, libraries would not stop us
dead in our tracks,
nor would a flower.
Blessings of peace and light, Mary Lee!
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Mary Lee, every word of the second stanza resonated with me, especially the “they would not light candles or invent lullabies.” There has been so much terror lately, including the terror that arises when I heard about the brilliantTatiana Schlossberg’s passing at 35. Maybe that’s all we can do when confronted by terror, as your poem advises us: gather, light candles, and sing. Thank you for the comfort I found in this beautiful poem you shared.
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Thanks. I needed that. Although it is good to “Listen” to one’s self, it is also important to understand that we need this part of our feelings as well. Sometimes we just want to run away from it all. But when we have restored, we must face the terror around us as well.
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