We've all been following the unfolding of the horrific events at Virginia Tech over the past two days. "Another Columbine, but worse." We keep hearing those words .. and much as we are trying to make sense out of all the senseless violence ... well, it's not easy.
Slowly, the mystery is beginning to unravel. The media and police are beginning
to piece together the puzzle of who, what, when, where, how, and most importantly WHY. In the meantime, students at VT are having to pull themselves together -- they are in the eye of the storm, the center of attention, and the victims of a tragedy that is simultaneously personal and public. It's not an easy place to be, and I am repeatedly struck by their dignity and courage.
Last night, when I got home from work, I watched several hours of the news, my heart in my mouth and my mind unable to wrap itself around the surreal outcome and occurrence that took place on a picturesque, esteemed college campus. While watching the news, I caught a clip from the campus service and convocation that took place yesterday - 
it was a snippet of a speech by poet Nikki Giovanni who is also a professor at Virginia Tech. Many of you are familiar with Giovanni - she is a prolific poet, author of many children and young adult books. Most recently her picture book Rosa,about Rosa Parks, won a Caldecott Honor ...
Here is a transcript of Giovanni's speech:
"We are Virginia Tech.
We are sad today and we will be sad for quite awhile. WE are not moving on, we are embracing our mourning.
We are Virginia Tech.
We are strong enough to know when to cry and sad enough to know we must laugh again.
We are Virginia Tech.
We do not understand this tragedy. We know we did not deserve it but neither does a child in Africa dying of AIDS, but neither do the invisible children walking the night to avoid being captured by a rogue army. Neither does the baby elephant watching his community be devastated for ivory; neither does the Appalachian infant killed in the middle of the night in his crib in the home his father built with his own hands being run over by a boulder because the land was destabilized. No one deserves a tragedy.
We are Virginia Tech.
The Hokier Nation embraces our own with open heart and hands to those who offer their hearts and minds. We are strong and brave and innocent and unafraid. We are better than we think, not quite what we want to be. We are alive to the imagination and the possibility we will continue to invent the future through our blood and tears, through all this sadness.
We are the Hokies.
We will prevail, we will prevail.
We are Virginia Tech." [source: TPM ]
This is a poetic call for unity, healing, and dealing ... and probably the most powerful reflection I've come across over the past few days.
After reading this speech, I went looking for more of Giovanni's poetry. I came across "Cotton Candy on a Rainy Day" which you might already know. I think it really sheds light on this moment in history.
You know, it helps not to be alone during days as dark as these -- and literature and poetry, as always, has the power to pull us together. So, I invite you to read Nikki Giovanni's speech and her poem "Cotton Candy on a Rainy Day" and to share your thoughts and feelings about these writings and the VT tragedy with us and other students in the WORD community. Click on the {comment} button below and talk to us.
I really hope to hear from you.
