Poetry provides access
to spirituality, identity
I would like to draw out an idea
that wasn't made explicit in my previ
ous column ("Political poetry can
bridge gap between personal, politi
cal, " ODE, Feb. 19). The idea was that
writing can, and should be, a spiritual
and life-affirming process.
This perspective, of course, is not
easy to hold in the everyday world. At
least not for me. The amount of tasks 1
subject myself to over the course of a
given school/work week usually
leaves me feeling like a thin coating of
peanut butter spread over a piece of
bread. There's just not enough to go
around. I'm sure others have felt the
same way.
So how can spirituality permeate
a world such as ours? I'll be the first
to admit it's not always possible in
an academic setting where time
limitations, deadlines and term pa
pers are a way of life. And I'll spec
ulate that it gets no better once we
leave this shroud of academia and
Aaron Shakra
The poet’s tree
further subject ourselves to a capi
talist job market.
But perhaps a good place to start
would be with our poetry.
In her essay "Poetry Is Not a Luxu
ry," Audre Lorde says: "Poetry is not
only dream or vision; it is the skeleton
architecture of our lives. It lays the
foundation for a future of change, a
bridge across our fears of what has
Eric Layton Illustrator
never been before."
The metaphor of the bridge is
particularly apt because poetry
seems to be about mending dualism
such as "us versus them," homosex
ual and heterosexual, friend and en
emy, nature and culture, and so on.
As the highest branches of a tree
seem to embrace the sky, so can po
etry melt the divisions that exist be
tween people and their heretofore
"separate" environment.
The birth of the political, then, is
rooted in poetry.
"It forms the quality of the light
within which we predicate our hopes
and dreams toward survival and
change," Lorde said. "(First) made
into language, then into idea, then
into more tangible action."
Many would shy away from this ac
tion. Despite its vague meaning, in
the context of this particular society,
true action is when we begin to distin
guish who we are from a society that
increasingly values thoughtless visual
CROATIAN
continued from page 6
region of Europe. They play a number
of instruments native to Balkan coun
tries, such as the kaval (a Bulgarian
end-blown flute which is the size of a
recorder) and the tambura (a
"You just want to move
(when you hear Croatian
music). You have to do
something to it. The
dance is based on little
tiny bounces. You do
several bounces on one
foot before switching to
the other foot. There is a
bounce for each beat, so
you can end up vibrating
if the music is fast."
Dan Downes
Balladina drummer
teardrop-shaped string instrument).
Dan Downes — who plays tupan (a
large, stick-beaten, double-headed
drum) and doumbek (an hourglass
shaped hand-beaten drum) — said Bal
ladina's presentation of Croatian music
will be "cheerful and perky."
"You just want to move (when you
hear Croatian music)," he said. "You
have to do something to it. The dance
is based on little tiny bounces. You do
several bounces on one foot before
switching to the other foot. There is a
bounce for each beat, so you can end
up vibrating if the music is fast."
Downes, who also helped organ
ize the festival, said his group will
play five to six stringed instruments
— including a violin, bass and three
sizes of tamburas — to mimic a tra
ditional Croatian ensemble. He said
the Greek portion of their show will
be more soulful and laid-back than
the Croatian section; it will also em
ploy more percussion and wood
wind instruments.
The festivities won't end with Jergan's
workshop and Balladina's perform
ance At 7:30 p.m. Saturday, four groups
will present cultural pieces that are not
of Croatian descent. These will include
Korean music, and salsa and Egyptian
dance.
"For the performance portion of
the festival, we like to show a range a
different styles," Downes said.
The evening show will be followed
by a dance party at 8:30 p.m. featur
ing live music by Arcada, Calif.-based
folk band Chubritza. The six-member
group is similar to Balladina in its
choice of unusual instruments. Their
varied musical genres stretch beyond
the Balkan region to Israel and Mexi
co. They will set the scene for the
dance party with traditional songs
from Eastern European countries.
The package cost for all festival
events is $35 for the general public
and $25 for students and seniors. For
those who only attend the workshop,
tickets are $10 for the general public,
$7 for students and seniors. Ticket
prices for the dance party are $ 15 for
the general public and $ 10 for stu
dents and seniors. The 7:30 p.m.
showcase of international song and
dance is free.
Contact the Pulse reporter at
natashachilingerian@dailyemerald.com.
captivation, fear, conformity and
domination.
Persian poet Rumi (1207-1273)
wrote: "Be melting snow / Wash your
self of yourself. / A white flower grows
in the quietness. / Let your tongue be
come that flower." Here is that melt
ing of the subject into object. It need
Turn to SHAKRA, page 12
GOT A STORY IDEA?
give us a call
at 346-5511.
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Future Music
Oregon
Jeffrey Stolet, director
UN II
OF
■sei
A concert of experimental electroacoustic music, featuring guest
artist and composer Russell Pinkston, professor of composition
and director of electronic music studios at the University of Texas
at Austin. PLUS: other new works from the FMO studios bf
Troy Rogers, Mei-Ling Lee, Sam Tymorek, and Melissa Stark.
Saturday, March 6 8:00 p.m.
Room 198, UO School of Music
TICKETS: $5 General Admission, $3 Students & Senior Citizens;
available at the door. Room 198 is wheelchair accessible