Welcome to Poetically Yours. Poetically Yours showcases poems by northern Illinois poets. This week’s featured poet is Judy Cummings.
Cummings is a northern Illinois poet and teacher. She is a member of the Illinois State Poetry Society, Poets & Patrons, and Rockford Writers' Guild.
Her poem “Enlightened” references titles of books that have been banned at one time or another.
The Awakening
happened inside
an Animal Farm
where Women in Love
met The Naked and the Dead
not-to-be-read.
Near the Tropic of Cancer,
Sons and Lovers
searched for A Separate Peace,
yet found themselves
caught in a Cat's Cradle
All were slain
at one time or another,
In Cold Blood along with
Lady Chatterley's Lover.
Even The Great Gatsby,
Ulysses, and The Color Purple
were not Beloved
enough to escape bondage.
They tried To Kill A Mockingbird,
Trample The Grapes of Wrath
Swat The Lord of the Flies
Trap Of Mice and Men.
As I lay Dying,
Their Eyes Were Watching God but
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.
An American Tragedy –
Blocked, burned, or
banned books, – still,
The Sun Also Rises in
A Brave New World.
- Yvonne Boose is a current corps member for Report for America, an initiative of the GroundTruth Project. It's a national service program that places talented journalists in local newsrooms like WNIJ. You can learn more about Report for America at wnij.org.
