I did. That line, "It doesn't have to be this way," is directly from him. Years ago, we were at a poetry and essay reading and many of the writers shared work from a recent storm. Jesse was rather moved but it wasn't because of what they'd written, it was because he knew he could've done something to help/prevent the disaster. I think the writers were taken aback when he said, "It doesn't have to be this way," and I still chuckle at the memory, but I also understand (in part) what it is he bears because of what he knows.
SO powerful, Callie! “This is not a question.”
Please tell me you shared this one with Jesse.
P.S. I love the line "But poetry can come before disaster."
I did. That line, "It doesn't have to be this way," is directly from him. Years ago, we were at a poetry and essay reading and many of the writers shared work from a recent storm. Jesse was rather moved but it wasn't because of what they'd written, it was because he knew he could've done something to help/prevent the disaster. I think the writers were taken aback when he said, "It doesn't have to be this way," and I still chuckle at the memory, but I also understand (in part) what it is he bears because of what he knows.
That gives me chills.