empathy
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The circle garden was special and magical because it was a random, kind of hidden, huge circle of grass with busy streets on either side. It didn't seem like the park service was keeping it up as much as a bunch of people from around the neighborhood were. I saw a lot of long term Hyde Parkers, planting flowers, weeding, and maintaining that special circle. It was sad and absurd to come back home one day and see a place that was authentically special, and a place where I hung out almost every day, gone. In the poem, I was wondering what does it mean to be "safe" in nature, in community? What makes someone or something empathetic? What is the value of empathy?
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Asha Futterman is a poet and actor from Chicago. She holds an MFA from Washington University in St. Louis. Her chapbook, empathy, was published by The Song Cave this year. She currently teaches elementary school students at Saint Ann's in Brooklyn.
Insta: @ashapashaaaaa