Whisps
by Sara Kaufman
Johns Hopkins University
Sara Kaufman is in the Biomedical Engineering and Writing Seminars (creative writing) programs at Johns Hopkins University, where she is expected to graduate in 2027. She uses poetry to process and decorate her lived experiences, and to explore the intersection of science and art.
I miss the soft hiss of the whispers that lived in the palms
as the tropical winds played a bossa-tuned hymn in their fronds
When I left, I took shears to the songs
I grew up with
I trimmed them like splits in a hair shaft and
when my reflection first passed in a window
I thought that the ends looked so clean
But now running my fingertips back through my memories
braiding the passage of time
These blunt ends hit me quickly
My fingers keep going expecting the whisps
filamentous and delicate roots
that were mine
Interview with the Poet
What inspired you to start writing poetry? Are there any specific poets or writers that inspire you to write?
I began writing in elementary school, continuing beyond school assignments because I enjoyed playing with language. My writing really picked up in my teenage years, when I began using it as a vehicle for parsing my experiences and emotions.
Is there a reoccurring or central theme to your work?
The vast majority of what I write comes from my everyday experiences. Most of the imagery in my current works is tied to the items and people around me.
What do you think are important elements in effective, thought-provoking poems?
To me, poetry acts as an exercise in empathy, and I think the most effective poems distill the emotion behind a particular moment or idea, then extrapolate it to something others can understand and — ultimately — also feel.