My response to a conversation we had about Thich Nhat Hanh's piece which was circulated post-9/11:
First, thank you for the conversation Monday night! Andrea, I didn't mean to be negative about a piece of writing (and a writer) that you appreciate, but I'm glad that we were able to talk about it!
In light of that conversation, I think it's necessary for us to reconsider whether or not this is poetry. By this, I mean that we can't easily dismiss this as not poetry. Just because it is written in free form (I haven't looked carefully at the prosody - line, meter, and rhythm of the poem so I can't say for certain) doesn't mean it isn't a poem.
The truth is, this could very certainly be poetry -- just very bad poetry (in my humble opinion) -- unless he says specifically that this is not poetry. So, I will approach this as a poetic text (otherwise, I have very little to offer except banal reflections).
I agree that this is a very poignant piece that strikes at the heart of most readers who have been touched by the violence of our recent histories. I think that there will always be a need for reflections such as this one written by Thich Nhat Hanh, whether or not those pieces are poetry or prose or whatever form(s) of art. Where there is need, there will always be room/space made available for this kind of writing, however good or bad the author creates it. It really is up to the discerning reader whether or not they prefer a certain kind of writing over another kind.
Not unlike the both of you, this piece evokes in me a visceral response. That is, I react more because of the context of the events that motivated TNH to write this prayer. When I (re)read this, I am reminded of the feelings that I felt when I saw the tower fall, when I heard of the airplane crashes, etc. There are certainly elements employed in this piece which in totality tug at my heart strings. If we look only at the effects produced in the reader which are evoked by this writing, then in a way it is poetic -- but not necessarily excellent poetry.
[On a side note -- Isn't this similar to biblical texts and theology? I mean, how do we reconcile the fact that there are many texts and certain kinds of theology that are "wrong" in some ways but which nevertheless form a strong basis for people's faiths/spirituality?]
No doubt there are many others who respond like we did-- we are called to respond to the prayer on an emotional and thoughful/reflective way. That was my first reaction. But, that is only one kind of appreciation. Beyond the initial "tug" at my emotions, after the brief moment of quiet meditation and reflection, I become distracted/frustrated by the technical form of the piece.
My reaction is colored by the awareness of other kinds of writing that evoke in me such similar responses -- writings that are better crafted and whose contents speak of the same (different) issues, raising the same (more complex) questions.
That consciousness, added to my biases against his personality (here, insert the thoughts that Mai-Anh has already articulated), make me less appreciative as a reader and writer. I am, unfortunately, biased against such kinds of writing (in a creative writing program TNH's piece would never pass muster as literary craft) because I think that there is much more that can be done... that is, this could be presented and has been presented with more artful aesthetics, with purer (?) motives (purer than what I'm willing to allow for his writings) that I can see.
I'm reminded of the poetry world's outcry when Laura Bush wanted to have a poetry reading in support of the war... It was, in essence, an abuse of the powers of poetic art, which in itself isn't uncommon, but it was so flagrantly displayed. On a personal level, I feel that somehow TNH was using poetry to not only diffuse a situation and remind us about peace and reconciliation, but I wish he could have done it better. It makes (some) folks misunderstand the craft so that they think if you need to use poetry for practical purposes, then you must present it in this simplified, formulaic way in order to have meaning and application in the real world.
We all know of course, there is a difference between simplicity and simplistic poetry. That distinction needs to be made, but I don't know whether or not I'm capable of talking about that now.
Read his text at: "Rest in Peace" on the website Images and Voices of Hope.
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