I wrote "Not a Beautiful Poem" about one of my longest and dearest friends who has frequently been a muse for my writing. This particular piece came to life for me through both conversations and my own lived experience with my muse-friend; and also by way of these photos she sent to me while diving in Southeast Asia. The story of the poem is a tragedy, and it is a story about fear. The fear of never overcoming a debilitating illness drove the main character to search the world for a way to heal. The speaker constantly fears for her friend's health and safety. However, it is at a moment of seeming danger (while swimming with jellyfish; an animal known for its potentially deadly sting) that the main character of the poem is actually at their safest and healthiest. At the same time, during this moment of bliss, a violent attack is happening elsewhere. The poem examines the fragility of life and the tremendous impact of unexpected loss. The discussion of “beauty” in the poem is a testament to the concept of both visual and aesthetic beauty, as well as spiritual beauty. The illness that the main character suffers does not steal her physical beauty. The underwater photography is striking, including the colors of the jellyfish bodies. The peace that is found in healing a disease, and the adventures that are allowed once the body is healed are all things of great beauty. But all of this gets overshadowed by news of a very ugly death; making “beauty” a word that then seems ill fitting, misplaced and unfair.
Erica Miriam Fabri is the author of Dialect of a Skirt, a collection of poetry published by Hanging Loose Press (2010).
She is a writer and performer and a graduate of The American Academy of Dramatic Arts and received her MFA in Poetry from The New School.
Her work has been published in numerous literary journals and magazines including: North American Review, New York Quarterly, The Irish Examiner, Texas Review, Trespass Magazine, Spoon River Poetry Review, Hanging Loose Magazine, Good Foot Magazine, Paper Street and more.
She currently teaches Performance Poetry and Literature at Pace University, Poetry Writing at Cooper Union School of the Arts, and Writing for Magazines at Columbia University for the Columbia Scholastic Press.
She has performed and facilitated seminars at: New York University, Penn State University, Rutgers University, The School of Visual Arts, Baruch College, Hunter College and Lehman College of the City University of New York, The Brooklyn Public Library, Poet’s House, The Fortune Society, The Robin Hood Foundation, and the PEN Prison Writing Program.
She has worked on projects as a writer, editor and performance director for The New York Knicks, HBO and Nickelodeon Television.
She is also a mentor and curriculum writer for Urban Word NYC, a non-for-profit literacy organization for New York City teens dedicated to spoken word, poetry and hip-hop arts. At Urban Word NYC she holds the position of Creatively College Bound Director, and is the author of the textbook that outlines their college readiness program, The Creatively College Bound Reader.
She has been awarded a writer’s residency at the Omega Institute and has been a featured and/or visiting poet and performer for numerous art festivals and outreach programs including drug rehabilitation centers, prisons and hospitals. Her first book, Dialect of a Skirt, was a finalist for the 2011 Paterson Poetry Prize and it was included on the list for: The Best Books of 2009 at About.com; and made the Small Press Distribution’s bestseller list for June 2010; as well as the Poetry Foundation’s bestseller list for October 2010.
She reads and performs solo, as well as with the hybrid music and poetry duo “The Robin and the Lady Poet” with musician, (her husband) Robin Andre.
She is also a Freelance Photographer, a New Yorker, and a Mama.
Website: ericafabri.com
Instagram: @ericamiriamfabri
Facebook: Erica Miriam Fabri