MORE ON SONGS AND POETRY: "Can We Talk About Y?"

Note to Readers: Over the weekend, I wrote about "The Song of the Sea," a passage -- shaped like a poem with "waves" -- that comes from the Old Testament or Torah. The passage -- I heard it chanted on Saturday at my temple -- tells the very famous story of the Jews' escape from Egypt through the parting of the Red Sea. Quite coincidentally on Sunday night, a friend from Virginia called; she proceeded to "sing" her poem over the phone to me. (She hadn't read the post!)

"Can We Talk About Y?" tells the all-too-familiar story of a woman confused about why she cannot break free from the shackles of her obsession over a man. After Roshell finished singing her poem to me, she told me that she intends to get a group of single mothers together to write poetry as they support each other in changing their lives for the better. I am putting them in touch with a wonderful poetry therapist I know.

One more curious thing: when she emailed me the poem, it had the curvy shape of a woman's body; the "Y" of her repeated line looks like a woman with her arms raised, as if asking help from divine sources!

By Roshell Roland-Curry

Can we talk about Y?

My eyes and my ears sent the wrong message to my heart

Can we talk about Y?

My intuition said no and everything else said yes

Can we talk about Y?

When I found he was a lie I still let him between my thighs

Can we talk about Y?

Even though I knew he wasn’t the best I still settled for less

Can we talk about Y?

Even though it broke God's (and my) heart I still could care less

Can we talk about Y?

Everything went gray, and I got depressed

Can we talk about Y?

I was scared to walk away

Can we talk about Y?

I loved him more than I did myself

Can we talk about Y?

I had to have him for myself

Can we talk about Y?

He’s not even the first

Can we talk about Y?

It ain’t his fault

Can we talk about Y?

I deceived myself

Can we talk about Y?

I compromised

Can we talk about Y?

I wished I wasn’t weak

Can we talk about Y?

I sat in that mess

Can we talk about Y?

I let him walk all across my mind

Can we talk about Y?

I didn’t care what my friends and family thought

Can we talk about Y?

He ain’t worth shit, but that didn't matter one bit

Can we talk about Y?

I think so low of myself, I let this mess ruin my health

Can we talk about Y?

I’m imprisoned by myself

Can we talk about Y?

Can we talk about HOW

I will

fix this mess?

Roshell Roland-Curry was born in Kansas City, Missouri, and raised in California and Dallas, Texas. A single mother, she currently resides in Fredericksburg, Virginia with her four young boys. I met Roshell when her younger sister, Rachel Roland, participated in the multi-media arts program (called ARISING) that I ran with four other teachers in Washington, D.C., in the summer of 2009. What an exciting program that was! We worked with 25 high school students, encouraging them to write poems and to paint and to sing and to dance (tango!) and to tell stories in response to social issues like homelessness.