Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

"American Sonnet (2)" by Wanda Coleman delves into themes of exploitation, racial and environmental injustice, and the personal experience of navigating through a world marred by these forces. Through vivid imagery and a poignant narrative voice, Coleman crafts a powerful critique of corporate and societal greed, intertwining the cosmic with the deeply personal. This poem continues her tradition of redefining the sonnet form to explore contemporary American realities, especially those impacting marginalized communities.

The poem begins with a striking image of the nightfall, personified with "dazzling teeth," being sentenced to "the eclipse of eternal corporate limbo." This metaphor sets the stage for a critique of how natural beauty and resources are commodified and suppressed by corporate interests. The "halos of heaven's greedy archangels" symbolize the sanctified yet corrupt powers that dominate and exploit, casting into shadow anything that threatens their authority or outshines their constructed hierarchies.

Coleman’s reference to "the miscegenation of her spirit to earth's blood" evokes the mixing of the divine or celestial with the earthly or human, suggesting a unity and interdependence that is violated by "powerful executives" who "syphon off her magic." This act of extraction and exploitation extends beyond environmental degradation to encompass cultural and spiritual appropriations, where the rich tapestry of diverse identities and the natural world itself are resources to be mined for profit.

The poem shifts to address the consequences of such exploitation, drawing parallels between "violent opiates," "artistic rain," and "the locusts of social impotence," each representing different aspects of destruction and neglect. These forces—drug addiction, fleeting and unreliable support for the arts, and societal ineffectiveness in addressing crucial issues—converge to create a landscape of ruin.

In this context, the speaker's reflection, "i see myself thrown heart first into this ruin / not for any crime but being," speaks to the personal impact of these systemic injustices. The speaker identifies with the nightfall, seeing their own fate mirrored in the cosmic punishment of something naturally radiant. This line underscores the poem’s exploration of identity—particularly racial identity—and the experience of being marginalized not because of any action but simply because of one’s existence.

"American Sonnet (2)" exemplifies Coleman's skill in using the sonnet form to address complex social issues, melding personal reflection with broader critiques of power and exploitation. Her adaptation of the sonnet eschews traditional structures, employing free verse to more directly capture the cadences of spoken American English and the immediacy of the issues at hand. Through this poem, Coleman invites readers to reflect on their place within these systems of power and to recognize the shared humanity that corporate and societal greed seeks to eclipse.

POEM TEXT: https://paulenelson.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Wanda-Coleman-American-Sonnets-Complete.pdf

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