Dear Aiden, Lydia, and Melanie,
I am a poet, pastor, #ChurchToo survivor, and Fellowship Program Director at Sojourners.

As Emily Dickinson astutely observed, “Tell all
the truth but tell it slant – / Success in Circuit lies.”

I am therefore thrilled by the Geez call to explore the intersection of poetry and social change. I love Geez’s focus on how seemingly small actions can have big impact. Rachel Bergen’s article in the Spring 2017 issue on mending as an act of resistance, as well as “Lettuce Age” by Jenny Flores still vibrate in my brain.

The poem, “breathing and unfettered Her full body breaks new ground,” is an erasure that I created from a playbill for a Hildegard of Bingen concert.

Warmly,
Melanie Weldon-Soiset

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This article first appeared in Geez magazine Issue 52, Spring 2019, Poetics of Resistance.