Basho & Mandela
Matsuo Basho and Nelson Mandela both make an appearance in this new poem by former U.S. Poet Laureate Juan Felipe Herrera. Although their words seem somber at first, the poet writes that they are intended as "notes for your nourishment." The message? Telling the truth about life experience, and sharing clear-eyed wisdom with one another, is an act of caring.
Basho & Mandela
by Juan Felipe Herrera
As Basho has said —
it is a narrow road to the Deep North — as Mandela has said
the haphazard segregation later became a well-orchestrated
segregation
— as Basho has said the journey began with an attained
awareness
that at any moment you can become a weather-exposed skeleton
— think of us in this manner
these are notes for your nourishment — hold them
as bowls of kindness
from journeys of bravery
the will to seek & find the sudden turning rivers & the dawn-eyed
freedom
