Friday, July 3, 2026

Trinet after an Argument

 

Irene Latham & Darnell Whited 

Hello and Happy Poetry Friday! Be sure to visit Michelle at Moreart4all for Roundup.

Have you been enjoying all the America 250 events in your neck of the woods? I have! After months of planning...and a generous grant from the Alabama 250 commission, yesterday I helped host a community "Party Like It's 1776!" 

My DAR Warrior Rivers chapter, in conjunction with the Blount County Memorial Museum, offered entry into two of our town's most historic buildings and filled them with historic exhibits, recognition of veterans, activities (including a scavenger hunt!), food, and visits from historical figures like George and Martha Washington! So much fun, y'all. And I wanted to share a list of the books we found most valuable for helping us celebrate America's birthday, particularly in their portrayal of the American Revolution:

Cloaked in Courage: Uncovering Deborah Sampson, Patriot Soldier by Beth Anderson, illus. by Anne Lambelet

DK Eyewitness American Revolution

Farmer George Plants a Nation by Peggy Thomas, illus. by Layne Johnson

George vs. George: The American Revolution as seen from Both Sides by Rosalyn Schanzer

George Washington and the General's Dog by Frank Murphy, illus. by Richard Walz


George Washington's Spectacular Spectacles: The Glasses That Saved America
by Selene Castrovilla, illus. by Jenn Harney

Heroes of 1776: The Story of the Declaration of Independence by Neil Gorsuch and Janie Nitze, illus. by Chris Ellison

History Smashers: The American Revolution by Kate Messner

If You Were a Kid During the American Revolution by Wil Mara, illus. by Kelly Kennedy

Nathan Hale: Patriot Spy by Shannon Zemlicka, illus. by Craig Orback

Spies in the American Revolution for Kids: A History Book by Carla Killough McClafferty

The American Revolution from A to Z by Laura Crawford, illus. by Judith Hierstein

When Paul Revere Rode: Voices from the First Night of the American Revolution by Sarah L. Thomson, illus. by Nik Henderson


This week's ArtSpeak: WOMEN again features work by Gabriele Münter. (My record player needle is stuck, and I kind of love it!)

Some notes for those who are interested:

While this piece depicts Gabriele's artist-friends Alexej von Jawlensky and Marianne von Werefkin, I instantly saw these two as a couple. And because of their body positions, I imagined them in an argument. 

Peace-loving, conflict-averse me hates being in an argument with a loved one! So I thought that might be fertile ground for poetry.

Last week I tried (and failed) at a trinet, so I wanted to try again this week. And voila! Success! Thanks so much for reading.

*Funny: when I went to the ArtSpeak: WOMEN folder to snag the image, I found a "Trinet after Drought" I wrote earlier this year! I think perhaps the trinet is my new triolet (form I go to when I don't know what to write!).



Trinet after an Argument


Together but
not together—
hearts caught in a summer riptide,
all heat, bees, and prickly grass—
who will
be first
to reach?

- Irene Latham