Since all of us are locked inside a defined physical space, the need to contemplate the ordinary becomes a necessity. 

One would expect that a quarantine would provide a space to get some rest, and liberate ourselves from the burden of productivity. Yet, looking at the social media outlets proves such conjecture wrong. We are constantly reminded to make “the most” of our times. At some point, this is so stressful. Bearing that mind, we tried to offer something different: a space to relax together, meditate and read poetry. In addition, the purpose of this workshop is as its name, Poetry is Closer than the Sea, suggests is to bring poetry closer to us in our daily lives; our daily confined lives.

I chose this poem specifically to fit this theme of finding beauty in the simple and the mundane. “Ode to a Large Tuna in the Market”, written by Pablo Neruda, is a simple, medium-sized poem. It talks about, yes about a large tuna that the speaker finds in the market while he’s getting his groceries. Halted by being and existence, he looks at this dead animal, and tries to revive it by writing an ode to celebrate its royal, heroic life, after all the tuna fish “survived the depth of the unknown, dark sea”.

First we read the poem in its original language, Spanish, and then we read it in English. Every time again and again, I am amazed by the people’s ability to draw interpretations and analyses out of poems. Their own being engages with the written word to create a story and a vision. One person mentioned the crisis of the fish, other talked about capitalism and communism, and last one talked about death and universal humanity.

But honestly, more than anything my intention was to grab people’s attention and to get them to pay attention more; to try to see beauty in everyday life. Something that validates the world, nourishes our longing for the sublime and creates something that didn’t exist before.

Here are some of the insights and reviews of the persons who attended the workshop:

“Discussing poetry in a warm and open environment, with people I know and people I don’t, was wonderful.During the quarantine, I have enjoyed reading, writing, watching films, etc. but yesterday’s event reminded me that culture is a fundamentally collective action. It is most valuable and enjoyable when it is shared.”

– Jonathan Shamir