Teaching This Poem Today
"For My Young Friends Who Are Afraid" by William Stafford
My dear friend, poet, and writer Melanie Plesh taught near the Lower Ninth Ward in New Orleans in 2005. The last poem she and her students studied as Hurricane Katarina barrelled toward her city was “For My Young Friends Who Are Afraid” by William Stafford. After the storm was over and the waters receded, someone snapped a picture of her school, which was destroyed. Behind several workers who were clearing debris was a wall that had collapsed, and behind that was her chalkboard still standing on which she had written this poem.
For My Young Friends Who Are Afraid
There is a country to cross you will
find in the corner of your eye, in
the quick slip of your foot—air far
down, a snap that might have caught.
And maybe for you, for me, a high, passing
voice that finds its way by being
afraid. That country is there, for us,
carried as it is crossed. What you fear
will not go away: it will take you into
yourself and bless you and keep you.
That's the world, and we all live there.
Today many people are feeling fear. This election cycle has been long, divisive, and exhausting. Never in my lifetime do I remember businesses boarding up their storefronts and governors having the National Guard at the ready in case of election violence.
Here are some suggested Discussion Questions for Stafford’s poem:
How does the poem characterize fear?
How does fear lead to self-discovery?
What does the imagery “a country to cross,” a “quick slip of your foot” and “air far down” symbolize to you?
What does the “high, passing voice” represent as a kind of encouragement in the face of fear?
How can embracing and acknowledging our fears lead us to become more resilient and empowered?