Wow, the power of words

Before I continue this specific post, I just want to give a heads up that the rest of my blog posts are probably going to comprise of talk about the readings we did in the last few weeks of class. I feel like I may not have discussed much of the literature we read earlier in the semester, but I just really connected with the last few weeks worth of studying.

Now back to the discussion of the literature. I'm dedicating this post to the poem by Gwendolyn Brooks called "the mother." This isn't a poem that we were technically assigned to read, but we discussed it in class and it really stuck with me.
I could probably sum up everything but these few words: wow, that's powerful. That's a simple statement but it's so true.This is a subject barely anyone will talk about, mainly for the fact that it's controversial and people are extremely passionate about whatever side he/she chooses to take. Most people aren't willing to change his/her opinion, no matter what that side is. This subject is abortion and Brooks takes the viewpoint of a woman who has had multiple abortions. This is such a extreme topic, especially for the fact that barely anyone talks about it. Abortion is one of those things that every person has an opinion, but most people choose not to share it. There's also the fact that is a more unfavorable opinion that some people don't kindly do. That opinion would be what we call "pro-choice."
While this poem doesn't necessarily take a pro-choice standpoint, it takes the view of someone who has had an abortion. A person doesn't understand how hard an abortion is to have until it happens to that person. It's easy for to give a woman crap for her choice to have an abortion when a person has never been in a situation where abortion was a possibility. When a person discovers the fact that a woman had an abortion, he/she can't get over the fact that the woman ended a baby's life. Yes, that's true, but that decision is not easy for any woman and a woman has her reasons for the abortion. No one ever thinks of the fact that the woman who had an abortion actually cared for the baby she was carrying inside her. That never seems to matter to anyone. But this poem takes a look at the case of a woman who has to get an abortion and her feelings towards it. Like I mentioned earlier, it is so powerful. This poem takes a step back from what actually happens in an abortion and takes a look at the emotion behind it. This woman in the poem loved all the children very much, but whatever reason was not able to have the children.
I find it kind of hard to accurately describe this poem or even come up with a response for it with words. All I can say over and over is how powerful it is. I guess it leaves me speechless a bit. This poem gives us a perspective that we didn't have before. It gives us a look into an experience most of us have never had before and feelings hopefully most of us will not have to experience.