Abiding Appalachia: Chad Renner

When we were first assigned to read these poems I dreaded it. I had always admired poetry but yet the essence of a poem seemed to elude me and often times I was merely bemused after reading any kind of poetry. However, the poems in Abiding Appalachia did not evoke the usual sense of bewilderment from me. Awiakta adeptly constructs her poetry but simultaneously she ensures that underlying theme of every poem is explicit to the reader. Inevitably I noticed the parallels between this work and Full Body Burden. Both authors lived in the vicinity of nuclear sites and due to this both authors were obliged to comment on the inscrutable nature of government secrecy and deception. Awiakta conveys this sentiment best in her poem “The Fence” where she describes a menacing fence which seemed to sever the community’s connection to the outside world. “We’re sheltered in the secret and free to play as long as we stay inside the fence” (31). Moreover both authors possessed an abiding passion for nature and its intrinsic beauty. Indeed both authors were intensely fascinated by the relationship between humanity and nature. While Kristen Iversen primary motivation for composing her memoir was to seek some sort of personal resolution, Awiakta is compelled to write by her potent regard for Cherokee heritage and nature. These two ideas appear in numerous poems and are often juxtaposed with portentous specter of the atom. It is the contrast of these two seemingly alien forces which pervades the entirety of Awiakta’s poetry.