let the colonial borders be seen for the pretensions that they are
i hereby honour what the flow of water teaches us
the beauty of enough, the path of peace to be savoured
before the extremes of drought and flood overwhelm the careless
water is a sacred bond, embedded in our plump, moist cells
in our breaths that transpire to return to the clouds that gave us life
through rain
in the rivers & aquifers that we & our neighbours drink
in the oceans that our foremothers came from
a watershed teaches not only humbleness but climate fluency
the languages we need to interpret the sea’s rising voice
water connects us to salmon & cedar, whales & workers
its currents bearing the plastic from our fridges & closets
a gyre of karma recirculates, burgeoning body burden
i hereby invoke fluid wisdom to guide us through the toxic muck
i will apprentice myself to creeks & tributaries, groundwater & glaciers
listen for the salty pulse within, the blood that recognizes marine ancestry
in its chemical composition & intuitive pull
i will learn through immersion, flotation & transformation
as water expands & contracts, i will fit myself to its ever-changing
dimensions
molecular & spectacular, water will return what we give it, be that
arrogance & poison, reverence & light, ambivalence & respect
let our societies be revived as watersheds
because i am part of the problem i can also become part of the solution
although i am part of the problem i can also become part of the solution
where i am part of the problem i need to be part of the solution
while i am part of the problem i can also be part of the solution
one part silt one part clear running water one part blood love sweat
not tar but tears, e inserts a listening, witnessing, quickening eye
broken but rebinding, token but reminding, vocal buck unwinding
the machine’s gears rust in rain, moss & lichen slowly creep life back
the rate of reclamation is humble while the rate of destruction blasts fast
because we are part of the problem we can also become part of the
solution
Rita Wong invokes the "sacred bond" of water in this poem that invites us to learn from watersheds, and to act in their defense.
1. What is the significance of the word "colonial" right there in the first line / in a poem about water and the ecology?
2. Do you see anything water-like about the way the poem is presented on the page? What techniques does the poet use to suggest fluidity?
3. What does the poet mean when she writes, "I will apprentice myself to creeks & tributaries, streams & glaciers"? What lessons do these water forms provide?
4. The poem plays with borders vs. fluidity, and portrays water as a great connector (of species, eras, social classes, etc.) - can you point to some sections / some ways you see her depicting the connections water makes?
5. The repetition in the final stanza has the feel of a crescendo - how would you deliver these lines if you were reciting them? And what effect does it have on you, to read the repetition? Is this poem a call to action?
Writing activity:
The poet uses legal / bureaucratic language - "I hereby honour," "I hereby evoke," "I will apprentice myself to..." in a poem that is nevertheless very meandering and fluid (like water). Try your hand at creating a poem that blends language from another realm (i.e. legal language) with concrete and embodied imagery such as the poet has here.
Useful links:
https://poems.com/features/what-sparks-poetry/rita-wong/
https://rabble.ca/books/finding-hope-poetics-and-politics-water/
Rita Wong “Declaration of Intent” Copyright © 2015 by Rita Wong
Source: "Declaration of Intent" From undercurrent (Nightwood Editions, 2015) www.nightwoodeditions.com