Poet Danielle Legros Georges - Poetry Corner Featured Poet
One of the featured poems in the Poetry Corner at the MassBay Library Framingham Campus this year was Boston-Haitian poet Danielle Legros George’s “Poem for the Poorest Country in the Western Hemisphere.”
Poem for the Poorest Country in the Western HemisphereLegros Georges was appointed Boston’s Poet Laureate in 2014. A poet laureate is an honorary position given to a poet in a particular geography, appointed by the governmental leader; the US has a poet laureate, Tracy K Smith, who was appointed by by Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden; regions, like Boston also appoint poet laureates.)
O poorest country, this is not your name.
You should be called beacon. You should
be called flame. Almond and bougainvillea,
garden and green mountain, villa and hut,
girl with red ribbons in her hair,
books under arm, charmed by the light
of morning, charcoal seller in black skirt,
encircled by dead trees. You, country,
are merchant woman and eager clerk,
grandfather at the gate, at the crossroads
with the flashlight, with all in sight.
More about Danielle Legros Georges https://www.poets.org/poetsorg/poet/danielle-legros-georges
More about Tracy K Smith: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/tracy-k-smith
Lesson plan for teaching “Poem for the Poorest Country in the Western Hemisphere” https://www.poets.org/poetsorg/lesson/teach-poem-poem-poorest-country-western-hemisphere-danielle-legros-georges