Sometimes It Takes a Poet to See

Sometimes It Takes a Poet to See

I celebrated a friend’s birthday out in Brooklyn on Saturday night. I am glad I went. I am especially glad my buddy Bob joined me and even drove. The birthday woman, Jean Lehrman, is a poet among other things. That is how we know each other – through the poetry circles in NYC. Some years ago, when I curated a poetry reading series called Hidden Treasure, it was held at a bar in the Bronx called Johnny O’s. Jean once featured for us and then my friend drove her from Castle Hill to his Norwood neighborhood, so she could get on the D train. We got to talking about the Bronx getting such a bad rap. I remember her statement about her Bronx experience, and I will always appreciate this about her. She said, “The Bronx is a place where people live.”

Such a plain and simple truth sounds revolutionary when living in such a prejudice society with the Bronx as a scapegoat.

Many think of the Bronx as a battlefield where you dodge bullets to go here

or here

…but there’s also plenty of this

Students at Lehman College working toward a more peaceful world.

This is Daniel Hauben, a fantastic local artist who has honored the borough with his wonderful depictions of the Bronx. He's had numerous shows and won numerous awards and chooses to make the Bronx his home.