R.B. Morris delivering his inaugural poem as Knoxville Poet Laureate at the Founders Day celebration at The Foundry on Oct. 3, 2016 -- the 225th anniversary of Knoxville's founding. (Photo by Traci K. McDonell / City of Knoxville)
On the occasion of Knoxville’s 225th Anniversary
A Birthday Card to Knoxville
by Poet Laureate R.B. Morris
Happy Birthday Knoxville!
Happy 225, it’s good to be alive!
How you doing?
You look great!
Thanks for inviting me to the party
Check out the food, the wine
Let us dine on this magnificent spread
I believe we’ll all get fed
And the weather, feels good
Now that it’s cooling off
It’s always cooling off by your birthday, Knoxville
Lovely October, my favorite month in East Tennessee
Unless it’s May
But hey
Two twenty five and that’s no jive, Knoxville
You’re getting older
Have you thought about what you want to be
When you grow up?
Hey, we don’t have to talk about that today
Today we celebrate
And you are looking good
I see you’ve tightened up a little around in the middle
Yeah, showing some more shoulder there on the north side
A little more leg on the south
And your color is much better
You’ve been more active lately
I can hardly keep up
But I keep reading about you
Someone in the Times said
You were the ‘nation’s couch’
Ouch. Is that better than Scruffy City?
Yeah we’re working on an identity
One piece of furniture at a time
Man, they want you to have a brand
Got to have a tag dude
They want to get a fix on you
Put you where they think you belong
But hey, you’ll be singing your own song
That’s what you do best
You know what I’m saying?
Of course you do
You’ve been doing it all along, Knoxville
You’ve been like a magic cauldron
Making your own potions
You’re like a well hidden still, back on the hill
If they want a branded cow
They can take that to some other town
Brands slide off of you like fake tattoos
Who could hang a name on you, Knoxville?
Well, you were named after the first Secretary of War
Who never set foot here
We hope he was impressed
He died choking on a chicken bone in Knox County, Maine
But hey, what’s in a name?
You’re still here
But who am I talking to?
I’m talking to you, Knoxville
Knoxville was never anybody but those who were here
And here we are
Lucky us, to be here now
Be here now, that’s what the wise men of the East say
And here we are in East Tennessee
We who are here today
We are the city
Otherwise, Knoxville’s just the dirt to the edge of town
Just the streets and buildings
Just the bridges and overpasses, the telephone poles
The sidewalks and signs
Otherwise we’re just a tiny piece of the interstate
We’re just this part of the river
Even the water like the clouds just moves on by
Just like us
We move on by
And somebody else
Gets to be Knoxville for a while
So happy birthday to all of us
We should all hop on a city bus
And take a little tour of our town
Say Happy Birthday to everyone who’s around
That’s us, that’s who’s on this bus
This Knoxville
Knoxville, your very existence gives me license
We go way back, me and you
Yeah, I was born at Fort Sanders
Born on the battlefield
I’m a volunteer
And I’m on your side Knoxville
We’ve had our ups and downs
But we’ve always found our way
Like most of us
I have journeyed out, out and about, all around
And up and down the coasts and all across
This big broad land
But I’ve always found my way back again
Like most of us
I have ventured into our mighty metropolises
New York City, Los Angeles
Oh San Francisco, oh Chicago
From Big Sur to the Outer Banks
I’ve taken the old roads and the fast lanes
From Mallory Square to Mt. Rainier
I’ve been there
I volunteered
Then I came back
I’ve walked the streets of London of Edinburgh of Berlin
I’ve raised a pint in old Galway and Dublin, the Isle of Man
I sang my Knoxville poems in the cafes of old Paris
I have stood where the civilized world has stood
And listened closely to what they had to say
The great cacophony of their lovely woes
And then, I came home
We all came home
We came back just to watch you turn, Knoxville
And to be part of your turning
Your promise of becoming
And that’s what we love about you
You are always beginning
Taking the shape of who you are
And yes, we are a bridge
We are a bridge from here to there
Time is running over us like the river running under us
From 225 years ago to 225 years tomorrow
This is where we were back when
And this is where we will be then
Right here, right now
We are long and strong and our song goes on
We come from the oldest mountains on earth
And we flow out into the world
This is not an ode to Knoxville
This is just a birthday card
This is best wishes and many happy returns
We hope you always stay a little disguised
To yourself as a child, Knoxville
And here’s looking at you kid
It’s all ahead
A narration to accompany the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra performing John Williams’ Hymn to the Fallen for the 4th of July celebration on the World’s Fair Site in 2017.
Hymn to the Fallen (6:05)
:24 - 1:33
Let us sing a hymn to those who have fallen, to those who won’t be coming home.
Those who were here among us, who are part of us, and now are gone.
Who served this country, this nation, this people and gave their lives in that service.
Who rushed forward to defend us when we were threatened.
Who stood up for us, who took our part, and were taken from us.
They are not forgotten. As we celebrate our independence and our freedom,
Let us sing a hymn to the fallen, a hymn of praise and thanks,
For there is an empty chair at every table, and this is who we are.
1:33 - 1:45 (break)
1:45 - 2:36
What is this freedom that men and women are willing to die for?
Freedom to live, to work, to worship, to celebrate.
Free to be with the ones we love.
Free to follow the spirit as we perceive the spirit.
To grow our family, our garden, our city, our souls.
How precious these freedoms must appear to those
Who live in fear and persecution.
Who have watched their loved ones murdered,
Their religions oppressed,
Their homes and villages, towns and cities demolished,
Their way of life vanquished.
How precious indeed these freedoms
2:36 - 2:43 (break)
2:43 - 3:55
We sing this hymn to the fallen, but they have a prayer for us too.
Their prayer is that we do not abuse their sacrifice.
Or carelessly misuse their allegiance for some purpose unworthy of their courage.
This is our duty to them and to the country we hold dear.
Let us not forget that when we persecute people here, we violate the trust of the fallen.
When we hinder the pursuit of happiness for others, we dishonor their sacrifice.
When we allow this to be a land for only the few and not the many then we have
Let our guard down, we have allowed freedom to be robbed from our fold.
Then we have forgotten what they died for, a dream beyond our day to day prejudices.
A dream of justice and freedom for all, a dream worth dying for.
3:55 - 5:00 (KSO break)
5:01 - 5:45
And now they rest. They rest in peace.
They have fought the battle.
They stood together and they held.
Let them rest now and know we are safe.
And know we are grateful.
And know that we stand guard even at this hour.
We celebrate them in our hearts,
And our hearts are strong because of them.
And we sing this hymn to the fallen.
Wordscapes is an ongoing project of placing words into the cityscape in various mediums. Permissions have been granted to the City from President Jimmy Carter, James Agee, Cormac McCarthy, Nikki Giovanni, and others for the use of their poetry to be displayed publicly. These murals are still in the planning and permission stages.
Word Murals (update as of June 2018)
1. Habitat for Humanity, 1500 Washington Ave.
I learned from poetry that art
is best derived from artless things,
that mysteries might be explored
and understood from that which springs
most freely from the mind and heart.
- President Carter
2. Retaining wall W. Jackson
For each fire is all fires, the first fire and the last ever to be.
- Cormac McCarthy
3. Crafty Bastard at Emory Place and Central Ave.
Down in the buttercup, back at the flat
Bluebird’s planning on passing the hat
The bear drank up all the wine in the vat
And I don’t what I’m going to do ‘bout that
- Charles Morris
4. Nikki Giovanni - portrait/poem
dreams have a way
of tossing and turning themselves
around and the times
make requirements that we dream
real dreams for example
i want to be
a sweet inspiration in my dreams
of my people but the times
require that i give
myself willingly and become
a wonder woman
- Nikki Giovanni
5. James Agee – portrait/poem
suddenly he heard his soul exclaim in silence within him, delighted,
sad, and in some way proud, “This could only happen in Alexandria!”
But instantly he was aware that it was better even than that: for it
was happening in Knoxville, in East Tennessee, in the middle of a day
towards the middle of the twentieth century, and if this could only
happen in Alexandria, then this was Alexandria now.
- James Agee
(or edited version):
Suddenly he heard his soul exclaim…within him…
“This could only happen in Alexandria!”
But instantly he was aware that it was better
even than that: for it was happening in Knoxville,
in East Tennessee…and if this could only happen
in Alexandria, then this was Alexandria now.
- James Agee
6. Jeffery Nash building on Summit Hill
A single word, as in ‘POEM’, or a music graph, a bar of written music
7. Wall St. wall on the corner of Gay St. and Wall St.
THE MARKET SQUARE – Knoxville’s Greatest Poem
8. Trailhead bar wall on Sevier Ave.
River Miles to Knoxville
What’s the river miles to Knoxville can you tell me true? I‘ve got a load of hogs and butter I’m trying to float through. Sell ‘em down on Market Square for some cash and sour mash too. Gotta get there ‘fore the summer drought or another flood comes through. What’s the river miles to Knoxville? You know I’m asking you.
What’s the river miles to Knoxville can you tell me true? I heard that Longstreet’s coming. I got to kill a Reb or two. My brother’s on the other side. But this I got to do……….. What’s the river miles? You know I’m asking you.
What’s the river miles to Knoxville can you tell me true? We’re gonna build a big dam here make a better life for you. So you can chill your eggs and butter. Get your home brew in a can. Think we’ll build it just downstream. You’ll have to move you understand. What’s the river miles to Knoxville? You know I’m asking you.
So when I see that brown flood rolling; or old Norris deep and green, The ski-doos out a playing or just a family on the stream, Whether on a slow slough drifting or when the tugs go chuggin by I think of those who’ve gone before and a tear comes to my eye. And I think river miles… Feel those river miles.
What’s the river miles to Knoxville can you tell me true? What’s the river miles to Knoxville? You know I’m asking you. What’s the river miles?
- Greg Congleton
9. The Walnut Building at 710 Walnut St.
The tallest wall in the world is a word
- R.B. Morris
10. Bike trail signs
Sign 1: You can lead a horse to water
Sign 2: But you can’t make him drink
Sign 3: You can lead a sheep to slaughter
Sign 4: But you can’t make him think
11. James Agee quote, bronze in sidewalk of the 1400 or 1500 block of Highland Ave.
In what city shall that be
And in what strange vicinity
- James Agee
12. Quotes on outside (or inside) of a City bus
EXAMPLE: On the bus we go, all of us who go, and we are diverse, a simultaneity in different mediums, the young and the old and the temporarily lost between…
- R.B. Morris
13. Poet’s Alley
The alley on the west side of Market Square could host a series of poems along its west wall.
City of Knoxville Poet Laureate R.B. Morris presented a poem at Mayor Rogero's State of the City Address along with South-Doyle Middle student Isaiah Whaley.
Poem for Mayor Rogero's State of the City Address
by Poet Laureate R.B. Morris
I wait for spring
I wait for spring
I weary of winter
I watch for change
And cherish the first warm days
They tempt and tease
They linger then hide
They slide back in
And disappear again
They struggle to stay
But then they do
Spring has sprung
And winter is done
It’s like an old story
Told again
Only, each time it is new
Our lives
Our many springs
We are the story unfolding here
And this is the part untold
This is where we begin again
Oh, you say, we begin again every day
Every morning rain or shine
Summer or winter, doesn’t matter
Every morning, yes
The days tell us
How to live, how to work
And we turn with the seasons
But with each Spring
Some part of us starts anew
The seasons teach us the true cycles
And the seasons give us faith
That change can come
We are an old story but
Some part of us is just beginning
When I look at my life, my days, my time
To live, to love, to give, to get anything done
And I think of the missed opportunities
The squandered possibilities, misplaced energies
The wasted days and wasted nights
And I consider this unfinished work that is my life
I am overwhelmed with loss and regret, and yet
Today I’m willing to try again, I’m willing
To recalibrate, to join with the season and brighten up
When the shadow of the world falls over us
We can’t escape it
When the distractions of the world bombard us
We can’t dodge them
When the clutter of the world washes up at our door
It won’t go away
And when the weight of the world is upon us
And in cahoots with gravity to bury us alive
To push us down into darkness
We push back
We lift up and try to shed a little light
On what needs to be done
Thank goodness we have youth following us
To take up the burdens, the challenges we all face
They will see everything in time
Already they know far more than we think
They may not be at the front of the fray just yet
But in time they will know better what they’re up against
And they will judge us by our (best and worst) intentions
And how hard we tried
And you say, look we make the best choices
We can make at the time
Yes, let’s make the best choices we can make
Learn from our mistakes, make amends, and proceed
Like Kristofferson said, if we ever get to heaven
It aint because we ain’t done nothing wrong
No, so let us go forth
With caution and with care, but with confidence
Woody Guthrie said, deal me any card in the deck
and I’ll beat you
Yes, let us proceed
Let’s plan our work and work our plan
And like Tom Waits says, you gotta get behind the mule
In the morning and plow
The world has given us another morning, another spring
Another chance to see with fresh eyes
Another opportunity to work it
And as my old mentor from the mountains, George Stokely, always tells me
Just keep pecking away at it son, you keep pecking and you’ll get it
So, we keep pecking
We peck away with new plans, new ways, new means
Firm up what we got
Build on what we’ve done
Make our best choices
Make it new, make it here, make it work
The dark shadow of winter
Is still frozen in my mind
Deep inside my bones
But spring has come
And once again I believe
In the light, in the sun
And I believe in change
And I go about the work
R.B. Morris also read the Nikki Giovanni poem Knoxville, Tennessee
I always like summer
best
you can eat fresh corn
from daddy’s garden
and okra
and greens
and cabbage
and lots of
barbecue
and buttermilk
and homemade ice-cream
at the church picnic
and listen to
gospel music
outside
at the church
homecoming
and go to the mountains with
your grandmother
and go barefooted
and be warm
all the time
not only when you go to bed
and sleep
Poem for Mayor Rogero's State of the City Address
by Isaiah Whaley, student at South-Doyle Middle
What is this place?
So much diversity, so many cultural backgrounds, so many ... people.
There has to be over. .. I don't know how many people here.
There are restaurants, hotels, apartments, stores, banks, art.
There are so many things to do here
I see a band playing music, a group of people doing yoga, and plenty of people looking
at the modern art over in that direction.
A young male giving a homeless man money to get a meal, young college students
hanging out as friends around that bench, and a few young teens watching the new
trending movie in the theater.
What is this beautiful place, I wondered.
To the left of me is a sign. This sign reads Downtown Knoxville
R.B. Morris delivering a poem as Knoxville Poet Laureate at Mayor Madeline Rogero's State of the City Address on April 28, 2017 at Suttree Landing Park. (Photo by Traci K. McDonell / City of Knoxville)
Poem for Mayor Rogero's State of the City Address
by Poet Laureate R.B. Morris
Only now
Only now can I stand beside the river
And begin to see
Only now do I know the world is turning
In the shadow of the city
In the bright air of the sun
We are turning
And look, it’s a new season
It’s way ahead of us
It’s as though someone left us here in a garden
And now it blossoms
And look, there’s a river
It comes
It goes
It stays
It is endless in all directions
In an age of flash
In an age of fake
In the Great Age of Miscommunication
Who can stand where they are
And move forward like the river?
The river has no choice
And neither do we
We must flow
We must go forward
Even as we stay where we are
Even as the world turns
We are the urban wilderness
Lost and finding ourselves
Hear our cry
Hear our song
We sing to push the river along
In the life of the river we are but a moment
We’re like flowers blossoming on the bank
Like trees with new leaves
We rise and fall
Another season that comes and goes
While the river flows on
What can we do but sing a river hymn
And tend this garden?
Only now can we do this
You can’t put your hand in the river
In the same place twice
Or as a poet said, in the same place once
It moves, it goes even as it stays
And so must we
These are our days to push the river
To turn the world
Our season to stand where we are
And move forward
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