April 22, 2021.


your appalachian tongue

i noticed you started tucking away your twang when you got back home
must have forgot about these mountains that breathed it into you
did they tell you that you were less smart so you decided to let a part of you go?
did you send your Appalachian tongue hitchhiking through these winding roads?

well, I hope somebody picked it up at the very least
maybe somebody's youngin' is already using it to learn their ABC's
or at least humming to music you've got to dance barefoot to
so you can feel the earth underneath that grounds you

these mountains are older than bones
maybe out here we don't stand quite as tall
but we've carried a lot on our backs
i just don't want you feeling ashamed is all

your accent doesn't impact your heart or mind
and if they just can't seem to understand you
repeat it a few more times
let them trip all over your roots

they deserve it if they want to cut you down
some people want to dwindle your resources
but pretend you aren't worth talking about
leave a miner in their coal dust, leave you as a stump on the ground









Poetry by aidan haskel The PoetBay support member heart!
Read 498 times
Written on 2021-04-22 at 06:53

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I echo and magnify the praises already offered by other readers. There's nothing in this poem that I wish were different. It's a gem, and more than a gem; it's real, and earthy, and vivid, and deft, and just plain good.
2021-04-23


jim The PoetBay support member heart!
I read your words about humming to music . . . " and think of the "appalachian tongue" which often draws mockery from those with tin ears and preconceptions. But Aaron Copland heard it the way one hears it while walking in the woods. You seem to hear it the same way, with appreciation.

Great poem.
2021-04-22


josephus The PoetBay support member heart!
This encapsulates J D Vance’s book better than the book itself!
Magnificent, Aiden!
2021-04-22

Texts




Vital
by aidan haskel