Welcome to Poetry Friday. This week hosted by teacher and poet Margaret Simon Here at Reflections on the Teche. Thank you, Margaret for hosting!
Ten years ago, I completed a haiku project about the American Presidents. I wrote a haiku or tanka about something specific about each life and a short factoid to fill in a fact or two. I thought I’d share what I wrote about Millard Fillmore, who was born in Upstate New York in a town called Moravia. There is a state park in Moravia named for him. You will find water falls, a swimming hole and walking trails.
Waterfall at Millard Fillmore State Park
Fillmore was President during the Compromise of 1850 which was an attempt to appease the South. Part of the agreement was to allow federal Marshalls to cross state lines to hunt down runaway enslaved people in the North and return them South.
We all know the Compromise of 1850 failed. The South could not be appeased, but the law was tested out:
In October 1851 the Marshalls came to Syracuse to capture a fugitive named Jerry. But famously, they failed miserably. The citizens in Syracuse, white and black, rescued him from jail and spirited him to nearby Canada in an event known as The Jerry Rescue. In the link you can see the sculpture dedicated to this event.
Here’s my haiku about President Fillmore, who is not on the top ten list.
Millard Fillmore
Hate was mounting—why
could you see only money
in a field of cotton?
#13 MILLARD FILLMORE (1850-1853) Mr. Fillmore, failed to see that slavery was immoral. In 1848, he was concerned only about the United States economy and cotton, which, at the time, depended on slaves.
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This haiku seems relevant today, as everything has a price. The pesky needs of humanity inconveniently keep getting in the way of world peace, as Fillmore discovered.
Thank you, Margaret for hosting. I’ll be hosting next week. See you then.
Janice, thank you for sharing about Fillmore. What a fascinating project to write a haiku about each president. I just finished listening to The Bully Pulpit by Doris Kearns Goodwin about the lives and presidencies of T. Roosevelt and William Taft . I have so much respect for presidential historians, like Goodwin and Michael Beschloss and now Janice Scully.
Thank you, Denise for reading. I’m hardly in that group but I do like history.:)
So fascinating, Janice. Your post is packed with information I didn’t know. And your haiku is perfection. You managed to impart so much in such a short form. Thanks for sharing it with us.
Janice, even though it’s subject of ole Millard, your poem speaks to all the monetizing that’s going on today. I didn’t know the Syracuse story about the runaway slave. Will have to read more.
Thank you for shining light on this act of resistance and humanity in the face of hate being upheld by our most powerful politicians. Timely indeed.
Relevant, indeed. And though haiku aren’t generally known for their use of enjambment (are they? I’m questioning my statement now…someone correct me if I’m wrong) the way you stop the reader on “why” adds quite the punch to the short poem.
My goodness…this is a powerful poem. In just a few words you capture an age and an echo. Bravo!
What a great project! I enjoyed learning more about Fillmore, and your haiku says so much in just a few words. Great job!
Timely indeed, Janice. Thank you for sharing, and thank you for those important bits of history. I also didn’t know about The Jerry Rescue, and I’m so glad you shared that story with us!
Janice, I didn’t know about The Jerry Rescue — thanks for educating me!
Ugh to Fillmore and his values, bereft of humanity, but yay for your haiku. You captured so much in such a compact space.