How We See Free
Throughout 2024, the Ohio Poetry Association and Poets Against Racism & Hate USA presented the Ohio Underground Railroad Whistle-Stop Poetry Tour, a series of readings that honored Ohio’s role in the Underground Railroad and raised awareness of issues of social injustice, hate, and prejudice that persist today. At stops on the tour, community members answered the question “What does freedom mean to you?” This collaborative contrapuntal emerged from the more than 100 responses to that question. It comprises three poems set side by side and one poem read left to right. The contrapuntal form allows for the meaningful juxtaposition of the many contributions to the poem’s development, and the complexity and interwoven nature of the form helps represent the complex interweaving of perspectives on freedom.
You can access previous featured poems in our Archive.
Would you like to submit a poem for us to feature? We accept submissions for this page from our members. To find out more about becoming a member or submitting your work for consideration, go to our Membership page. Decisions about what poems to include and when are at the discretion of the PARH USA administrators.