Drops: Poetic Antidotes

what are poetic antidotes?

My work focuses on finding poetic antidotes to systemic issues. I made this choice a year ago after I grew tired of only feeling rage about the injustices of the world.

My quest became to find poetic antidotes to systemic issues, but what are they?

They are ways of resistance that are rooted in a thirst for life, for thriving. They are rooted in beauty, joy, dreaming and imagination, but they know anger, pain and injustice. They know these can coexist, that they must. A flower is a poetic antidote when it grows through concrete when it blooms in air that is becoming unbreathable. They grow even when left alone, uncared for. I read today about how black women have been birthing new worlds by way of imagination, despite the systemic racial, sexist and classist oppression they suffer, they reminded me of the power of imagination, which I consider a poetic antidote. A documentary I saw recently, follows the story of a group of women is reclaiming the Samba scene in Brazil, one of them shared her experience and said that she didn’t want Pain to be the only thing that had space in her heart, she needed Joy — another poetic antidote.

The search is endless, and sometimes it is filled with obstacles, but on the other side is always colour. In the last month, I’ve been taking videos of abundant terraces, I find them highly poetic. Find it here.

Emily Dickinson said “Being a flower is a huge responsibility”, and she was right.

Drops is a Waves column created by Virginia Vigliar, it showcases short reflections and knowledge sharing for you to water. If you need a quick break, want to be immersed in poeticism with purpose, then this is for you!

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