What to do with truth: An exchange

Kinship: Part 4

---

An exchange: Kinship

Today, I am excited to publish Part 4 of An exchange, a side of the Poetry & Process newsletter where artists explore a topic through an exchange of their art. An exchange was first announced to the Poetry & Process community in an April 2024 Reflection essay on the poem Promises.

This month’s exchange is on the topic of Kinship, a series of six pieces written over the past four months, poems from Brian Funke, author of Poetry & Process, and Katharine Beckett Winship, author of Matters of Kinship. A newsletter will be published daily for six days, exploring different aspects of Kinship, each publication responding to and building on the prior piece from the collaborating artist. Read along and consider what truth means to you, and in what ways it comes into the world.

I hope you enjoy this collaborative effort on Kinship…today’s poem from Brian, and the art from Katharine.

Kinship: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6

---

What to do with truth

Brian Funke

practice | by kbwinship

Sing truth in the way
one sings a melody that
floats above a dissonant chime    
blown by a northerly wind
in late summer.

Touch truth in the way
one touches a fine piece of furniture,
hand caressing the top then
run down the side all while crouched low 
with eyes lost in years of grain.

Carry truth in the way
one carries a heavy load,
light on the shoulders and
heavy on the hips for it 
will be a long journey.

Taste truth in the way
one tastes a delicate dish
prepared for only two bites,
first for surprise and 
second to remember.

Spit truth in the way
one spits without hesitation
when startled by spoiled fruit
that the tongue cannot tolerate,
even as it catches in your beard.

Hear truth in the way
one hears a hawk scream,	
pierced ear from above
and silent winged shadow on the pavement,
claws and snake in a clenched dance.

See truth in the way
one sees the bright of the sun
create every color in a palate
yet renders one momentarily sightless
when stared at incessantly. 

Bury truth in the way
one buries a seed in the spring
knowing shit, soil, water, and sun  
will spur germination
but weed or tree depends on the seed.

Cut truth in the way
one cuts through oceans
with a chef’s knife to divide 
salt into bite sized morsels
knowing oceans cannot be portioned.

Speak truth in the way
one speaks with every sound a fiber 
woven as the voice of creation, 
each mumbling an epitome of 
the greatest dissertation.

---

Thank you for reading Part 4 of Kinship! Please leave a comment about what strikes you, speaks to you, or stirs in you while you read. Perhaps consider and share an experience of truth that you have held, felt, or shared.

Part 5 of the exchange will be published tomorrow! If you’ve missed any parts, you can navigate to them using the links towards the top of the newsletter.

May truth touch every one of your senses…

Brian

---

---

---