foreward to poetry project

history marks us and defines us and makes us who we are. history, like poetry can be analyzed through different perspectives. no matter how many perspectives there are, each time it will be different than the last. neither one has the 'right' opinions or answers. that is what makes history and poetry so unique.

ever since i started taking a history class, it has amazed me every single time i learn something new. whether it's on a new topic, or an old topic, i never stop learning new things about history. poetry is the same. every single person is different in their own way. as is every single poem ever written. that is why in my poetry collection , i try to combine them both history and poetry.

although there are a lot of interesting topics to be able to discuss in history, one really caught my attention. it was the civil war. during the civil war, many families were torn apart. often, even brothers were fighting on opposite sides of the war. John J. Crittenden was a senator from Kentucky at the time of the civil war. Kentucky was torn between which side of the war to take. so, the senator had two sons George B. Crittenden and Thomas L. Crittenden. they were both generals during the civil war. but on separate sides. George served as a confederate general while Thomas was a union general. even the first lady's family was torn. since she was Lincoln's wife, she supported the Union. but six close relatives of hers fought for the Confederate side. the of them killed in battle.

these stories from the civil war inspired me to write these poems. the first one is about the brothers. the second one is about the first lady and her relatives. the third from a slave that joined to fight for the union. and the last one is from a plantation owner and how he feels about slavery.