POETRY
A translation of “POETRY” from written English to American Sign Language (ASL) is posted on Wordgathering’s YouTube channel. (ASL Co-Translator, Dorothy M. Wilkins.)
(listen to the poem, read by Diane R. Wiener)
The sign POETRY
In American Sign Language
Used to be
The sign “MUSIC with a P.”
That is,
until we began to mold
Raw poetic forms
in our language
The sign POETRY
In American Sign Language
today
Is expressed
From the body’s center
the location of the sign
SOUL.
This sign POETRY
Begins with a fist
Holding close,
A polished shard
of spirit.
Then, it is released
Open handed
Like the fluff of a dandelion
into the air–
An offering.
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HOPE
A translation of “HOPE” from written English to American Sign Language (ASL) is posted on Wordgathering’s YouTube channel. (ASL Co-Translator, Dorothy M. Wilkins.)
(listen to the poem, read by Diane R. Wiener)
The sign HOPE
In American Sign Language
Is unrelated to the sign WISH
or the sign HUNGER.
Those signs move down the torso
like a deepening physical
need.
The sign HOPE
In American Sign Language
moves from the head
like the sign DREAM
and the sign WONDER.
But unlike those signs
the sign HOPE
needs two hands
mirror images
one hand—a wave of energy sent out
while the other—softly beckons
It’s as if
the clasped hands
from the sign BELIEVE
were freed, like birds
wings floating upwards
expecting sky.
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GRIEF
A translation of “GRIEF” from written English to American Sign Language (ASL) is posted on Wordgathering’s YouTube channel. (ASL Co-Translator, Dorothy M. Wilkins.)
(listen to the poem, read by Diane R. Wiener)
The sign GRIEF
In American Sign Language
Unsurprisingly
Is made near the heart.
With the sign for GRIEF
The heart is grasped
By two hands
Squeezed tight
And twisted
as if a heart were being torn
And ripped apart
In American Sign Language
Grief
Is not abstract
In time,
This grasp is slowly eased
Cautious of your sorrow
But reaching out to new joys
Holding them carefully in your hands
Crossing your arms in a hug
And bringing them close
to your heart.
In this way,
You begin to mend —
With the sign
For LOVE.
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About the Author
Karen Christie (name-sign “KC”) is a retired Associate Professor of Deaf Cultural Studies and English from the National Technical Institute for the Deaf at the Rochester Institute of Technology. She presently works as Education Coordinator for Deaf Refugee Advocacy in Rochester, NY. Some of her poetry has appeared in Nine Mile Art and Literary Magazine, Deaf Lit Extravaganza, and The Tactile Mind Quarterly.
About the ASL Collaborator
Dorothy M. Wilkins, a Deaf Rochesterian, taught ASL and Deaf Cultural Studies courses in higher education for over 30 years. She is a Professor Emerita from Keuka College (Keuka Park, New York). Along with Karen Christie, Dorothy has been involved with making educational films and translating literary works. Currently, Dorothy is one of the few Certified Deaf Yoga Instructors and Certified Deaf Life coaches.