Welcome to Poetically Yours, where you'll hear the voices of Illinois poets as they share their words about the world around them. This week, features Aurora's Poet Laureate, Karen Fullett-Christensen. Her poems include, "No Longer Virgins" and "We Are All in Chains."
No Longer Virgins
We have bitten the apple
we have pulled back the curtain
we are no longer virgins
so, what do we do?
Once the forest is breached
the tree has been accessed
wind blows through the branches
you're commanded to act
No more denial
no more excuses
no more turning away
as if nothing was seen
Sitting astride the horns of dilemma
whipping a froth of time-worn cliches
what we thought once was true
we know now won't work.
We Are All in Chains
The world was built on the backs of the weak
and rests there still
no Atlas Superman holds things in place
as mythology taught us
if we strip away the fantasy tales of history
and admit, underneath, the reality
the strong have survived by keeping their knees
on the necks of others
a horrific truth:
Are we ready to listen
are we ready to cut through dishonesty
are we ready to walk away from beliefs
that have held us in chains:
both victims and their overlords?
Fullett-Christensen was born and raised in Chicago. She graduated from Mather High School and Northern Illinois University. She’s lived in several of Chicago’s south and west suburbs, and in Missoula, Montana.
Fullett-Christensen worked as an urban planning/economic development/grant administrator with the City of Aurora. She retired in December 2012. Since then she’s been active as a volunteer and member of several groups. These include: The Fox Valley Music Foundation, the Fox Valley Festival Chorus, Books and Bread (book club), the League of Women Voters, the Illinois State Poetry Society, and Aurora Downtown. She’s also the co-founder of a writers’ group called A-Town Poetics.
Fullett-Christensen says she’s been writing poetry for as long as she can remember. She’s self-published 19 poetry manuscripts. In January 2020, Fullett-Christensen was appointed the first poet laureate for the City of Aurora. She will serve until May 2021.
