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On statues, BLM, & Imtiaz Dharker’s ‘Tissue’ (a thread).
I was talking to a colleague recently about the kids in their bubble who were, for want of a better term, ‘bubbling’, with the excitement of seeing each other and catching up on current affairs. 1/20
I was talking to a colleague recently about the kids in their bubble who were, for want of a better term, ‘bubbling’, with the excitement of seeing each other and catching up on current affairs. 1/20
They were discussing the BLM movement, and it seemed to come rather naturally to them to link to some of the ideas that they’d discussed to their previous study of Agard’s ‘Checking Out Me History’. And it got me to thinking.... 2/20
I don’t think there’s any one of those fifteen ‘power and conflict’ poems that better encapsulates the current cultural climate, than Imtiaz Dharker’s ‘Tissue’. 3/20
I know that many students (and teachers) carry a bit of an aversion to this poem, and I think that that’s due, in part at least, to its very abstract nature. But, honestly, I love it - and, I’m going to try and explain why it’s the most relevant poem to our lives right now. 4/20
‘Paper that lets the light shine through’, Dharker opens, ‘this is what could alter things’. And so immediately, right from the opening line, we are presented with a strong sense of revolution - the idea that ‘things’, as Dharker puts it, need to CHANGE. 5/20
I mean,it’s safe for us to surmise that ‘paper’(here)is a metaphor for the human(given the poem’s closing, one-line stanza)& so, Dharker conveys the idea that this ‘alter(ed) state must stem from the people.And the people must,collectively, let ‘the light’ shine through them.6/20
I mean, how fitting is this, given the ways in which we are now being encouraged to examine the status quo, to truly know, own & examine (as a Nation) historical “truths”, & to decide exactly what it is that we, as a country (and planet) stand for. 7/20
A little later in the poem Dharker comments that ‘If buildings were paper (she) might feel their drift, see how easily they fall away on a sigh, a shift in the direction of the wind’. 8/20
Buildings have long-since been used as representations of status,power,&governance. Buildings are often landmarks - structures that represent a country, a culture, quite separate from others. They are designed & commissioned by those who sit high-up in the chain of command. 9/20
When we connect this to her later reference to ‘capitals & monoliths’, this conjures up (for me) imagery relating to political systems - monuments erected in celebration of these traditional manifestations of power. 10/20
And so, by asserting the idea that they need to be more like ‘paper’, Dharker appears to be condemning the harshness & rigidity of these political systems, & conveying the idea that they could do with being more human (more like ‘paper’). 11/20
Immediately after this, she comments on ‘how easily they fall away on a sigh, a shift in the direction of the wind’. I mean - first of all, you can’t get any more of a revolutionary metaphor than that (!): ‘a shift in the direction of the wind’. 12/20
But, ‘easily’ wouldn’t be the first adverb that springs to mind when we consider a complete overhaul of life as we know it. And this is where the recurring image of paper is important again. 13/20
Dharker talks of placing ‘layer over layer’, which conveys, to me, the idea that we (like paper) are individually fragile, but collectively strong (we’ve all made that mistake with the department guillotine! Lots of layers are impossible to cut through). 14/20
And so, when it is time to ‘sigh’ - to collectively assert that we have had enough of the status quo and that things MUST change - so long as we come together, we can, with relative ease, topple these societal norms & create a ‘grand design of our own’. 15/20
I would say this is exactly what happened with Colston’s statue in Bristol. The people petitioned, & compaigned, & fought tirelessly for its removal. And then, they put their foot down, they said they’d had enough, they ‘sigh(ed)’. And,’see how easily (it fell) away’ on it!16/20
There is honestly so much more I could say about this poem - such as the way in which Dharker reiterates imagery relating to the ‘sun’ & the ‘daylight’ shining ‘through’ (not on) these mad-made manifestations, such as ‘bordelines’ and monolithic monuments. 17/20
And even how she hints at the concept of impermanence - the fact that the ‘grand design’ is in building ‘a structure never meant to last’. This, to me, comes back to ideas around collective consciousness & spiritual evolution. 18/20
As we journey through time, we will continue to evolve into states of higher consciousness. Everything we now do has its time and its place, & the future topplings of monuments that reflect current norms is nothing to fear. 19/20
It’s the way in which we continually strive to do & to be better.
It’s honestly my FAVOURITE poem! And if you’ve read this far, GOD BLESS YOU!
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It’s honestly my FAVOURITE poem! And if you’ve read this far, GOD BLESS YOU!
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