“Wars will be stopped only when soldiers refuse to fight, when workers
refuse to load weapons onto ships and aircraft, when people boycott
the economic outposts of Empire that are strung across the globe. ”
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| By The Bombay Chronicle, via Wikimedia Commons |
Midweek Motif ~ Boycott
"A boycott is an act of voluntarily
abstaining from using, buying, or dealing with a person, organization, or
country" as non-violent non-cooperation. Gandhi called for boycotts of foreign cloth and salt to break India's dependence on Empirical Britain in India's struggle for independence.
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| Mahatma Gandhi spinning yarn for home-spun, in the late 1920s |
Your Challenge: Write a poem to describe a boycott, small or large.
- Here's some assistance from history: 10 Famous Boycotts by
- And as you may know, 2014 already has major boycotts around the Winter Olympics and Israeli products, among others.
Inspiration from Performance Poetry:
Please:
1. Post your boycott poem on your site, and then link it here.
2. Share only original and new work written for this challenge.
3. Leave a comment here.
4. Honor us by visiting and commenting on others' poems.
(Next week's Midweek Motif on 8/6/2014 will be Hiroshima.)
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Thank you for the prompt..in a week of boycotting reality and life and love...it was hard to think globally but you're probably used to that!
ReplyDeleteI am used to how hard it is, Jae Rose. Thank you for taking up the challenge.
DeleteGood morning, Poets United. I have to warn you that the performance artist above is quite intense. I picked this motif to run through our poems before recent demands for a boycott against companies that support Israel's actions--but it seems almost too timely now. Whether you are researching history or speaking a current concern, I hope you enjoy the process and feel love this day. The Boycott Motif won't "close" until Saturday.
ReplyDeletehey susan - enjoyed the performance piece...and had a bit of fun dashing this off...i wonder about boycotts a bit...i remember the gas boycotts when the BP oil spill, or when the gas prices went up...well you might have seen it on facebook but we need gas so...i wonder if we could actually get enough people to boycott anything to make a difference...or if necessity and convenience would win out...
ReplyDeleteI think it just takes longer and is more hardship for those who say NO, but eventually ... with good planning and back up--even anonymous support--it should work. I hope. Now you've got me thinking. I know in India these non-violent actions didn't stop the killing. Less people died while more of them had to be willing to die for what they believed. Perhaps that is the question. With hunger strikes, each one answers that question individually.
DeleteThis one's a great prompt Susan..this word .Boycott will invariably take me to the Indian history and those blood smeared pages of time..ugh...however at the time of writing I passed my moments with Gandhiji too...so thanks once again :)
ReplyDeleteThank you! I immediately shared your poem, expecting it to be some help as friends decide what to boycott in the newest struggles.
DeleteI am felled by vertigo again today, kids, so I will be late writing to this prompt, will try to make my way around in bits and pieces........a good excuse to rest, since I cant do anything else and Susan, I think I will even watch the movie Gandhi. I so adore that man!
ReplyDeleteIt's a good movie. Rest up and visit Thursday or Friday. I'll be here, Sherry.
DeleteThank you, thank you!
DeleteI wonder if people believe in anything strongly anymore. I can only make a stand for Crimea in my writing. Though if I could get there I would go.
ReplyDeleteI do feel an impotence in words.
From all the wars, I would guess so. I would feel an equal impotence in killing I think, but that's just a theory. What would you do there? Your poem is pure art.
DeleteIt's been a while since I have written poetry or shared a poem here. I enjoyed writing to this prompt, which made me think of lessons learned as a child.
ReplyDeleteThank you for taking part, Judith. I shared your poem on Facebook. The world is a better place because it has this poem in it.
DeleteSusan, I'm boycotting poetry for the day, to highlight a short video of 2 children in Syria collecting breadcrumbs. If it doesn't fit the motif, I understand if you remove the link ~ M
ReplyDeleteThe video is powerful. It makes a good prompt in itself.
Deletethank you susan for the wonderful prompt..enjoyed writing for this:)
ReplyDeleteAnd I enjoyed reading it. I hope you truly enjoy the rest of your week.
DeleteSigning out now, Poets United. If you have more responses, consider bringing them to the Sunday Pantry. Next week's Midweek Motif falls on Hiroshima day, so I give you a choice of writing about historical or modern characters in Hiroshima OR writing about ringing bells as invited to do with peace bells. And then, the week after that, we get to write about happiness. Of course, you can also bring happiness--or get happiness--from Hiroshima. Looking forward to a lovely August! Write on.
ReplyDelete