My name is Paudrigotuma and for a long time I've been interested in how a poem can be a teacher.

At the end of last year we asked folks who read the Poetry andbound Substag, what questions they had about poetry?

And one of the areas that came up was about poems that have something to say about conflict.

So here we have it.

In response to your questions a little poetry and bound

miniseries poems as teachers we're calling it this time we're looking at

conflict and the human condition I used to work in conflict resolution and even in those sessions I'd often bring in a poem

for all of us to look at to try to understand the dynamics of the human condition and to allow the poem to speak

to us about this most powerful of experiences which is division and conflict.

Obviously there's fruitful conflict where you and I disagree with each other but our disagreement even if it's difficult can help build something and there's destructive conflict too, war.

And so we have this short series for you, this episode and six more.

It is a short series.

It does not propose a solution to war.

We do have a poem from the Gazan poet, Musababu Toha, and one also from Yehuda Amachai, a famous Israeli poet of the 20th century.

I am filled with opinion about what's going on in Gaza and about the

political necessity of ceasefire.

But this is about having a poem as a teacher,

not me as a teacher.

So over the course of this small series,

we'll be looking at particular poems that have something to teach us.

Joy Hardjo reminds us about how conflict ground rules means giving attention to the rules but also to the ground upon which the conflict is happening,

as well as asking what it means to tune into your own vocation, your own voice.

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