us and the arts

us and the arts

the arts

By Henry H. Walker

the arts can be denied(dəˈnī),
when schools have to cut expenses(ikˈspens),

academics(ˌakəˈdemik) are hard to deny,
for reading, writing, math, science(ˈsīəns),
social studies, languages,
shout(SHout) of their value,
the kinesthetic(ˌkinəsˈTHēZH(ē)ə), if expressed(ikˈspres) as sports,
opens purses(pərs), but expressed as art, as dance,
can be denied,

what seems true to me is
that a school’s most important task
is to help each young person learn to believe in self,
to hit the “on” switch that doubt(dout) and frustration(frəˈstrāSHən) can gum(gəm) up,

this week near half of our middle school
are pulling off a musical(ˈmyo͞ozək(ə)l) in our new Performing Arts Center,
there is a wholeness, a life, that comes real on stage:
as actor, set designer(dəˈzīnər), costumer, makeup artist, prop(präp) maker, all excel(ikˈsel),
light and sound people, stage managers(ˈmanijər),
all together pull off what needs doing
so that each individual(ˌindəˈvijəwəl) can shine(SHīn) bright(brīt)
within a whole that shines bright,

the closest analogy(əˈnaləjē) to me is a team in sports,
where the collective(kəˈlektiv), acting together,
somehow reveals(rəˈvēl) individuality(ˌindəˌvijo͞oˈalədē),
the sense of self as part of a larger whole,

the arts are one way to help empower(emˈpou(-ə)r) the student,
we teachers, we advisors(ədˈvīzər), work all the time
to do our best for the empowerment of the young person,
this week, the arts shout of how well
a full-scale(skāl) musical can blaze(blāz) of empowerment,

it is hard to sacrifice(ˈsakrəˌfīs) part of one’s own journey(ˈjərnē) with kids
to enable another’s journey,
but of such is how a community does its best to stumble(ˈstəmbəl) forward.

https://henryspoetry.blogspot.com/2019/02/us-and-arts.html