Dear Yona Harvey

Dear Yona Harvey,

I hope this letter finds you well. I wanted to reach out to express my gratitude and respect for the powerful experience I had while reading your poem "Hurricane". I was looking through many poems during my English class this year and encountered yours, and it has stuck with me ever since. Your word choice and the way you wrote your poem resonated with me deeply. The impactful voice conveyed throughout the poem reflects the tone of devastation and release. I could feel and understand the emotions through not only the hurricane itself but also the emotional storm it brought upon you and the world. As you use the hurricane as a metaphor and personify it, I can vividly see the resilience you have faced in hardship, which resonated with me as recently I have faced my own. The structure of your poem also stood out to me as I recognized the repetition of the phrase "she do". To me, it almost seemed like a prayer of affirmation and a sense of your daughters independence. But what does that phrase signify for you? Why did you choose those specific words to repeat?

I love the way your poem addresses "you", as I feel like there is something powerful about a poem directly spoken to someone. Many songs I have listened to also use this direct technique, and while deconstructing those songs and finding the meaning behind them, they become so much more influential. I am truly thankful for your poem, not just from another writers perspective but also a personal perspective. Your poem helped my understand my own grief and strength. Thank you for sharing your incredible gift as a writer and sharing this poem with the world. 


With appreciation,

Rylie O'Kulich

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