Poetry Connection: Nature, Art, and Poetry in Santa Barbara

The Poet's Perch, Santa Barbara Botanic Garden

Melinda Palacio, Santa Barbara Poet Laureate

Every year, the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden hosts an open call for “Casitas” to be built in their backcountry, the area of the garden where kids can touch plants and art and have fun. This area is where many summer camps romp and there’s a tire swing and children can learn about nature. Colleen M. Kelly was one of the recipients of the Casitas grant. 

 

For her project, she designed a Poet’s Perch, in homage of cherished Poet Laureate Emerita, Sojourner Kincaid Rolle (1943-2023). The late poet would have celebrated her 81^st birthday on Monday, August 26. Along with Rod Rolle and several of Sojourner’s close friends and colleagues, Colleen M. Kelly unveiled her Poet’s Perch. The art installation consists of a tall, 12-foot, upside-down tree, salvaged from the Botanic Garden with a kite that reads Joy (Sojourner’s given name) and Sojourner’s poem, “Hosanna,” originally published in What Breathes us: Santa Barbara Poets Laureate 2005-2015, Gunpowder Press 2016, wrapped around the top. The art installation includes colored staffs, made of painted tree branches with designs and colors that mimic the bright scarves owned by the poet herself. The space invites poets and children of all ages to find inspiration and creativity.  

 

Rod Rolle was on hand with his camera, documenting the process of the installation and its unveiling. Colleen said they both felt Sojourner’s presence while installing the homage to her. The casita honors both the poet and nature. The Poet’s Perch blends into the backcountry, as if it has always belonged there. The installation will be up for two years. 

 

Colleen M. Kelly chose Sojourner’s “Hosanna” because it’s a poem dedicated to artists, and Kelly likes to think Sojourner had her in mind when she wrote it. Colleen and Sojourner have been friends for decades. Sojourner collaborated with Colleen and wrote ekphrastic poems for her show, “Naked Under Clothes.” Colleen enjoys spending time at the Poet’s Perch and answering questions from people visiting the garden’s backcountry. She often will ask people if they live in Santa Barbara; and if they don’t, she introduces them to Sojourner Kincaid Rolle. 

 

When a family interacted with Poet’s Perch, Colleen felt as if she had done her job. A family stopped by and started reading the entire poem, moving around the tree as the poem is wrapped around it. With lines such as, “a dancer lifts one bare foot mocking the slow/deliberate step of a blue heron: /raising a bare leg in the manner of a Sandhill Crane, lifting a jointed limb like the graceful Snowy Egret, as if we humans could take flight”, the poem invites the reader to participate in the poem. 

 

“I was really pleased to see how a family from Southern California interacted with the installation. A father and son took turns reading Sojourner’s poem while mom enacted what she was hearing. Mom must be a dancer.”

 

At last week’s installation and opening, I had the pleasure of reading an ekphrastic poem I wrote for the exhibit. The poem was inspired by the last days I spent talking to Sojourner while she was in hospice last November. She opened her eyes and said two words to me, ‘Oh My.’ Many people have shared how important the words are of people who are in the process of transitioning or making their final journey on this earth. I recall that Poet Laureate Emerita, Perie Longo told me that I should write a poem based on those two precious words I heard from Sojourner. It wasn’t until Colleen M. Kelly asked for a poem for her Casita project that I sat down to write it. 

 

 

For today’s Poetry Connection Poem, I am sharing the poem I wrote for Poet’s Perch, as well as Sojourner’s poem, Hosanna, originally published in: What Breathes Us: Santa Barbara Poets Laureate 2005-2015, Gunpowder Press 2016. Thank you to Gunpowder Press for Permission to reprint Sojourner’s poem. 

 

Hosanna

By Sojourner Kincaid Rolle 

For the Artists of Santa Barbara

In the quietest of spaces,

On a twig in the hedge;

near a cone at the top

of a Torrey Pine tree;

one chirp begins the sound of day—

the downbeat for a symphony.

 

On a hillside,

high above the morning wave,

Pacific water rushing in and easing out;

a first brush-stroke begins the great unfolding—

the plein air narrative of this moment.

 

Somewhere on the land beneath the rocks

where massive middens of abalone and debris

evidence our ancient places on coastal shores,

a dancer lifts one bare foot mocking the slow

deliberate step of a blue heron;

raising a bare leg in the manner of a Sandhill Crane,

lifting a jointed limb like the graceful Snowy Egret.

as if we humans could take flight. 

 

We poets place words in the mouths of crows;

create a language of our own imaginings.

We imagine song as if sparrows were singing.

We imagine dance as if shore birds could touch the sky.

We view the painter’s renderings as evidence

of our meanderings—our longings made visible.

 

Sending up our praises, our hallelujahs, our hosannas.

We embrace the musicians, the dancers, the painters, the poets, the sculptors, the weavers of thread…. 

We who create hold common cause. 

We honor all that is beautiful.

 

 

 

Ode to Joy

 

          For Sojourner Kincaid Rolle and the Poet’s Perch, art installation by Colleen M. Kelly

By Melinda Palacio, Santa Barbara Poet Laureate

 

Oh my, she said on her deathbed. 

Two words, an epiphany, as if to declare her world 

Of accomplishments flashed before her eyes.

 

Oh my, as if her hardships before Santa Barbara called to her,

Beckoned her to remember a grandmother who shared an 

Appreciation for trees and the word. 

 

With eyes closed you may run to your grandmother

who taught you your first verse in the holy book,

the matriarch who encouraged you to recite. You, 

small child with a loud voice and louder beating heart. 

 

We, us, and all the black poets and gospel singers you claimed,

Are here to claim you. 

 

Oh my, oh my.

As you sit in limbo, you open your eyes for a second and see faces

You have touched in your home in Santa Barbara and beyond to Marion,

Your North Carolina birthplace.

 

As the people’s poet, the city’s Poet Laureate, the town leader, uplifter 

Of connected communities like Olympic rings, bearing peace and unity,

A trained peacemaker, your sunflower face forever turned to light,

Now returns to nature. 

 

Your seeds scatter in letters. Your gracious voice with its Southern lilt

Rings truth. North Carolina dreaming dipped in California Chocolate 

Spells a four-lettered word only you could pronounce P-0-E-M,

Poem. Let your words sail on heavenly wings for this is your hosanna.

 

The beginnings of praise and creativity for you who gave so much. 

May this space, known as the Poet’s Perch, inspire joy in flower and song.

We delight in how you soar higher than a king palm to catch a shooting star.

And like your beloved tortoise, you have won your race.

 

Oh my, you said as you slowly soared above us. 

Oh, my Sojourner. My oh my. 

Oh, Sojourner Kincaid Rolle. 

Oh joy.

*This column was originally published in the Santa Barbara Independent

Celebrating the Life and Legacy of Sojourner Kincaid Rolle

Melinda Palacio, Santa Barbara Poet Laureate

*This column first appeared in the Santa Barbara Independent

 

 

 

 

In my first year as Poet Laureate of Santa Barbra, I’ve witnessed the tremendous loss of Poet Laureate Emerita, Sojourner Kincaid Rolle. From writing about my personal connection to Sojourner and celebrating her 80^th birthday, earlier in this column, to this week’s celebration of her life, a day I never imagined because she was so vivacious. Sojourner leaves an everlasting legacy that in many ways is comforting. It’s as if she is still with us leading the way, sharing space in our community. 

 

When I spoke to a news reporter on Monday, I recalled how Sojourner immediately offered to share the stage with me upon hearing that I was a newcomer, interested in writing poetry. When I arrived in Santa Barbara, twenty years ago, I had yet to publish any books or poems, but she asked me to share the stage with her and read with her at the Carpinteria Arts Center. She was the featured reader and described herself as the People’s Poet.I admired her energy and commitment to the poetry community and to social justice. At the time, I wondered why she would invite an unknown poet to read with her. It wasn’t until years later that I realized the gesture was part of Sojourner’s generosity and personal mandate to mentor everyone, regardless of age or experience. 

 

On Monday, Santa Barbara’s Martin Luther King Day celebration was also dedicated to Sojourner. Thanks to her, I’ve been involved in judging the youth essay and poetry 

awards for over fifteen years. This year felt bittersweet as I took more of a lead role in her absence. When Sojourner was in hospice, she told me that she was not ready to say goodbye to me. I wasn’t ready to say goodbye either. In many ways, I am glad we saved our farewell for another time. 

 

On Sunday, I presented my poetry at the Santa Maria Public Library. It so happened that they were having their MLK celebration. One of attendees said that it felt appropriate to hear Martin Luther King’s, I Had a Dream speech in the background. I certainly had Sojourner on my mind this past week. 

 

It’s been nice easing back into poetry events after the break for the holidays. Last week, I attended the Blue Whale Series, which featured David Starkey and Mary Brown. Mary, myself, and Sojourner, along with several others, were longtime members of my poetry group, the Santa Barbara Sunday Poets. This week’s poetry connection features a poem by Mary, M.L. Brown.

 

 

 

 

M. L. Brown is the author of Call It Mist, winner of the Three Mile Harbor Press Book Prize, and Drought, winner of the Claudia Emerson Chapbook award. Her work has appeared in Valparaiso Poetry Review, Prairie Schooner, and Cave Wall, among other journals and anthologies including, Blue Will Rise Over Yellow: An International Poetry Anthology for Ukraine. When not writing, she devotes her time to raising funds for Planned Parenthood and curates the poetry section for their annual book sale.

 

 

Fierce, She Conquers 

 

The moment she enters the front door

the Amazon sheds her breast plate, 

slices the leather laces, drops it to the floor. 

 

Barefoot, she stomps across the kitchen, 

stocks my cupboards with everything she thinks

I need. She stinks of river mud and cardboard. 

 

Her voice disembodies from the Cloud.

She claims the living room, the TV remote,

and settles her boxy butt into the best chair.

 

At night, she breaks herself down, then spreads

the width and breadth of my bed, rests her head 

on her beloved pillows, all plastic and air.

 

She is building her own nation, carving it 

out of earth and sea. And yet, I asked her here,

gave her all my secret words, handed over my keys.

 

 

M. L. Brown

 

Juneteenth 2022 and the Birth of the Book

Sojourner Kincaid Rolle

Guest post

FREE AT LAST
A Juneteenth Poem
By Sojourner Kincaid Rolle
Illustrated by Alex Bostic
Union Square Kids 2022

I came to the world of Juneteenth in the late 1980s when my friend, Mrs. Mattie Brewer, from San Antonio proposed that we organize a Juneteenth celebration for Santa Barbara. In preparing for that event, I researched the history and created a hand-out: “The Meaning of Juneteenth.” Over the next few years, local groups would organize Juneteenth celebrations. Some years, my friend Mattie would host a Juneteenth celebration at her home. Every year—whether in a community center or at a backyard barbeque—we marked the day.

 During the early 1990s I met Yvette Sutton and Daisy Cotton, two residents of Oxnard, CA,  whose Texas roots sprang from the soil where Juneteenth originated. Sa\\\ “In 2004, my friend and mentor, Mrs. Valencia King Nelson, invited me to submit a poem for a special Juneteenth page that was being published by AfriGeneas, an online magazine. I wrote ‘‘Free at Last: A Juneteenth Poem” and sent it in.

Since then, my Juneteenth poem has become somewhat of a standard. Bloggers, community organizers, and educators all over the country and even from Canada have used it. In 2018, a local group (now known as Healing Justice Santa Barbara) institutionalized our local Juneteenth celebrations. ‘‘Free at Last: A Juneteenth Poem.” has been an integral part of subsequent celebrations. It was even filmed and included when the celebration was held virtually.

Over the years interest in my poem made me feel more connected than ever to the holiday. But recently I sensed a profound change starting with 2020. In the aftermath of George Floyd’s murder and the rise of Black Lives Matter, African-American communities all around the country celebrated Juneteenth. And beyond Black communities, Juneteenth had entered the mainstream consciousness. That year, a Texas-based film company created a film based a recording of me reading my poem aloud. The film was shared widely and I received notes and comments from across the country and around the world, including Australia, Poland, Germany, South America and the Caribbean.  

One year later, 2021 held another change…the big surprise. Juneteenth was declared a national holiday! It has become part of American Experience.  in  the months before and since, there have been numerous critiques on the holiday’s importance. One is that the Emancipation Proclamation, an executive order signed on January 1, 1863, did not end slavery in the United States and many people remained in servitude even after June 19, 1865. It’s true. Lincoln’s executive order only applied to those who lived in the Confederate States. Slavery did not officially end in the United States until the 13th Amendment to the constitution was ratified on December 6, 1865.

Nevertheless, Juneteenth has emerged as the accepted date marking the end of slavery in the United States. It is a symbolic holiday. It is a symbolic representation of freedom for all who had been enslaved here.

Juneteenth commemorates a moment in time. That moment occurred in Texas for people who experienced the day,. noted its importance and carried the memory of that moment forward, sharing it with future generations. In 1979, Texas became the first state to recognize Juneteenth as a holiday. Over the next 52 years, nearly all 50 states followed suit.

Now, the poem emerges as a book for young people. A book that tells the world about this revered holiday. What it commemorates. What it celebrates. For me, it celebrates endurance, perseverance, resilience, and the joy of being alive.

Sojourner Kincaid Rolle Raises Up a Bit of Sky in Santa Barbara

 Melinda Palacio

Rod Rolle, Sojourner Kincaid Rolle, Salud Carbajal

Sojourner Kincaid Rolle is a 24th US Congressional District 2021 Woman of the Year. Congressman Salud Carbajal recognized Santa Barbara poet and activist for her work that raises awareness of diverse cultural history, especially of African-Americans in Santa Barbara and her involvement in Juneteenth Santa Barbara, among many other community activities. 

       Sojourner is no stranger to sharing poetry and culture. When she was five years old, she was invited to recite a poem she knew by heart to classes at her future school. She was then invited to recite the poem to more classes and schools, thus a life of poetry, speaking, and community service was set into place; and she hasn’t stopped using her voice since her childhood in Marion, North Carolina. 

       She arrived in Santa Barbara in 1985, during what was supposed to be a one year stint while her husband, photographer and musician Rod Rolle, finished his studies at Brooks Institute of Photography. Within days, she was introduced to a vibrant African-American community in Santa Barbara and participated in the city’s Martin Luther King parade. Someone took her picture from the middle of the crowd and she somehow found herself front and center of the city’s newspaper. She’s been in the public eye ever since. The affluent city known as the Riviera of the Central Coast is that much richer for Sojourner Kincaid Rolle’s presence in the community. 

Sojourner continues her educational work and finds she cannot escape notice thanks to her dedication to the community. She has brought poetry to underserved schools and has helped establish the Santa Barbara Poet Laureateship, of which she served as Poet Laureate for two years in 2015. She's a playwright, environmental activist and peace educator. In addition to the Congressional Record and receiving  a Congressional pin, Sojourner has received an Arts and Culture award from Juneteenth SB, and a Vision Award from Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority. Her books several chapbooks and the full-length poetry collections Common Ancestry and Black Street. 

Up next for the decorated poet is her upcoming children’s book, Free At Last, a Juneteenth Poem (Sterling Books May 2022) with illustrations by Alex Bostic. The book is based on Sojourner’s Juneteenth poem that went global last year, prompting readings of the poem all over the world and including a short film. Of the notoriety her poem has received, she says: “I feel like I am raising up the sky and helping to educate the world about Juneteenth.” 

    Next year will certainly be exciting for Sojourner Kincaid Rolle with the release of her book and Juneteenth being a national holiday.  

Tragedy Doesn't Stop a Community from Celebrating Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Melinda Palacio

 

Sojourner Kincaid Rolle Preps the Contest Winners

What would have been the welcome sound of rain falling on trees, rooftops, and pavements turned into an unprecedented disaster. Half an inch of rain in five minutes fell on Montecito. The death toll has reached 20 and there are still two missing.

While mud emptied out an entire city and turned the 101 freeway into an impassable river, those who lived west of Milpas in Santa Barbara were spared the horrors of having their community swept away. Santa Barbara was sparsely populated for the duration of the 101's shutdown and the isolation of both Montecito and Carpinteria. On the Santa Barbara side schools and businesses went on as usual as people felt an eerie sense of survivor's guilt. Many who didn't heed voluntary or mandatory evacuation orders were able to ride out the fires and storm from the comfort of their homes. This was not the case for people who lived and worked in Montecito. What was it like to wake up in Montecito to find no neighbors on your street? Read T.C.Boyle's account in the New Yorker.

What should have been an all-inclusive celebration in honor of Martin Luther King, turned into a much smaller celebration because people from Montecito, Carpinteria, Summerland and beyond could not get into Santa Barbara due to the total shutdown of the highway.

Every year, I have had the pleasure of assisting Sojourner Kincaid Rolle with Santa Barbara's annual Dr. King celebration. One of the highlights of the program, held at the Arlington Theater, is the Essay & Poetry Contest. Local youth and teens, ages 6-18, participate. This year, the missing participants, parents, and audience made it clear that a disaster had befallen the community. The march from De La Guerra Plaza to the Arlington Theater was also cancelled due to lack of available police.

The program at the Arlington began with a moment of silence in honor of the mudslide victims. The MLK celebration continued and names of the winners of the poetry and essay contests were announced. Many of the students also had difficulty turning in their contest entries because the Thomas Fire had upended their lives. The deadline was extended until just days before the celebration due to the many school closures from the fire preceding the mud slides. One student from Carpinteria High School, Max Coppel, lost all of his poems in the fire, but managed to rewrite his entry for the contest and took 3rd place for his poem, "Life in America Has Changed," along with Jeanette Fantone and her poem, "For the Opressed," also from Carpinteria High. The winner was Kundai Chikowero from Dos Pueblos High School for her poem, "Follow the Legacy."  

2018 Contest Winners

Essay

Ages 13-18

1st Michelle Qin "The Human Right" Dos Pueblos High School

2nd Gabriel Ohedo "Martin Luther King, Jr." Carpinteria High School

Ages 6-12

1st Olivia Battles "Speak Up" Roosevelt School

2nd Noah Zakrzewski "MLK" Monte Vista School

3rd Noah Slotnick-Lastrico "MLK" Washington School

        Connor MacPherson "MLK" Montessori Center School

Poetry

Ages 13-18

1st Kundai Chikowero "Follow the Legacy" Dos Pueblos High School

2nd Hali Schwasnick "Colors" Carpinteria High School

3rd Jeanette Fantone "For the Oppressed" Carpinteria High School

      Max Coppel "Life in American Has Changed" Carpinteria High School

Ages 6-12

1st Zachary Horne "My Dream for Our World" Roosevelt School

2nd Aspen Newhouse "Democracy" Montessori Center School

3rd Tessa de Albergaria "Living a Nightmare" Roosevelt School

         Tali McPeters "Democracy" Roosevelt School

            Quinn Davis Roosevelt Elementary

Poetry Equals Power: the Resistance Calls on Poets

Melinda Palacio

Poets Teresa Mei-Chuc and Sojourner Kincaid Rolle at the Los Angeles Women's March

A Charge To Keep In Mind

By Sojourner Kincaid Rolle, Santa Barbara Poet Laureate 2015-2017

There is charge to keep.

it covers the tree keepers

and those who seek to cut them down.

It covers the pedi-drivers

and those who ride in limosines.

It covers the harbors and the hillsides

the landmarks and the NIMBY's.

In all its disparate ways,

It covers the voter and the non-voter;

equal status in the public square.

Your charge is to your neighbor

your neighbor’s water

your neighbor's land use and limits

your neighbor's joyful noise

your neighbor's refuse and effuse

your neighbor/s children in the park

your neighbor's safety on the street.

You have a charge to make a way

for walkers, bikers, runners, climbers’

You have a charge to make a place

for swimmers, skaters, dancers, painters.

You have a charge to listen

Be we praisers or critics –

Be we transient or landed

You have a charge to hear us all -

to keep our counsel at heart.

We, the people, are a multitude

many cultures, many creeds, many life ways -

endowed or impoverished, we all marvel at the rainbow.

Today we can begin

to see a new vision

to hear with new understanding

to act in concert toward our common good.

You have a charge to keep.

We have a bond to hold.

*This poem is published in "What Breathes Us" Santa Barbara Poets Laureate 2005-2015 (Gunpowder Press- 2016)

Sojourner Kincaid Rolle

WE

By Sojourner Kincaid Rolle

This poem is dedicated to the giant trees in the great ever green forests that populate the lands from sea to shining sea - from the Pacific to the Atlantic to Indian Ocean to the Sea of Galilee - and in particular, to the memory of Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Cesar Chavez and Selma Rubin.

We.

We stand.

We stand tall.

We stand together -

trees in a vast forest

huddled in a great mass.

We are a multitude –

each different and distinct.

We honor our differences.

Where we stand,

our roots sink deep

into the firmament.

We are nurtured.

infused by the ever-flowing

fountain of life.

Endowed with the history of our kind;

our nation, our community, our families,

we learn from the struggles of our forebears.

As we grow, we give back as our ancestors gave;

sacrificing their easy comforts

that future generations together might thrive.

We are our forebears.

We stand in the shadow of their greatness.

We live our lives as their namesakes.

We are the Mahatmas, the Martins,

The Cesars, The Selmas.

We are the guardians of their legacies.

We are the bearers of their flags.

We are the tellers of their stories.

We are the singers of their songs.

We feed the starving.

We clothe the threadbare.

We shelter those who have no home.

We work for change.

We demand justice.

We uplift the downtrodden.

We are the future generations.

We embrace the power of people united.

We will never again be defeated.

In the names of our ancestors,

We stand.

We stand tall.

We stand together.

3/31/12

More Images from the Women's March Santa Barbara edition and a poem to kick off the march.

The video. Hear Melinda Palacio read "The Old Mission's Bell"

before the kickoff to the Women's March, Santa Barbara, Jan 21, 2017. The poem is from

from How Fire Is a Story, Waiting (Tia Chucha Press 2012)
*Thanks to Alison Bailey for the Video

Melinda Palacio
photo by Rod Rolle

Alison Bailey and Melinda Palacio
photo by Rod Rolle