insights INSIGHT Contrasting Perspectives in Poem ios_share
Benjamín Naka-Hasebe Kingsley's poem reveals the self-conscious anxiety of a writer about being misunderstood socially and artistically.
The poem contrasts this with the mechanic's grounded presence, highlighting different ways of seeing and being seen.
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insights INSIGHT Duality in Poem Title ios_share
The poem's dual title represents a tension between dismissing conversation as small talk and recognizing profound beauty and complexity.
This tension invites reflection on the deeper layers of everyday interactions and perceptions.
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insights INSIGHT Metaphor of Breaking and Seeing ios_share
The poem uses the words fractured, fractal, and refraction to explore themes of breaking and seeing anew.
This metaphor suggests that brokenness can reveal beauty and new perspectives through light and truth's refraction.
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Get the app On the day you wake to a broken window in your car, what do you do? And what happens when the woman repairing that window offers a glimpse of something new?
Benjamín Naka-Hasebe Kingsley belongs to the Onondaga Nation of Indigenous Americans in New York. He is the author of Dēmos Colonize Me (Saturnalia 2019), and Not Your Mama’s Melting Pot (University of Nebraska Press 2018). Naka-Hasebe Kingsley is an assistant professor of English at Kalamazoo College.
Find the transcript for this show at onbeing.org.
We’re pleased to offer Benjamín Naka-Hasebe Kingsley’s poem, and invite you to connect with Poetry Unbound throughout this season.
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