Sonia Sanchez and Personal Letter No.3

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            Sonia Sanchez was born Wilsonia Benita Driver Birmingham, Alabama in 1934. As one of the founding members of the Black ArtsMovement, Sanchez is s a writer, poet, playwright and also an influential advocate for civil rights. She is the author of over a dozen books of poetry and also the recipient of various awards such as the P.E.N. Writing Award in 1969. During her lifetime, Sanchez divorced and married twice. She first married Albert Sanchez, though her marriage with him did not last, Sonia Sanchez has retained the surname as her professional name. She was also married for two years to poet Etheridge Knight. Being prolific writers, she wrote many plays, books, and poems that had to do with the struggles and lives of Black America.

http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/personal-letter-no-3/

            In her poem Personal Letter No. 3, Sanchez reveals the humanity that relates to all women and men. I feel like the poem is a person's reflection on his or her life and the phases of life one has to experience as he or she grows older and older. The speaker is saying that we are “what we are" and also what we want to hide from or are in denial about, or what we “never think we are.” Because the poem is titled "Personal Letter No.3," it is most likely a personal idea that she had in her head and wrote it down. My impression of the poem as a reflection is perhaps because it was personal. The poem shows the coming of age of a person, and the weariness that comes with. "After midnight," or after a considerable amount of the speaker's life has passed, when youth is no more, when "no more wild geographies," he or she starts to feel "tired."

            However, in my humble opinion, I think the few last lines can also be interpreted as strong message against trying to be something that you cannot be forever. After the "wild geographies," there are the "echoes" after them. These "echoes" are the echoes of one's youth, the attempt to stay young and keep away from oldness. But doesn't matter how many masks one wears in this battle called life, true appearance will ultimately seep through and thing will continue to "move in tune to slower smells." I feel like Sanchez is fed up with people who can't embrace aging in a respected manner. It seems that Sanchez wants people to be grateful for what they have and to be more mindful of how aging is a natural process of life.

            In Personal Letter No. 3, Sanchez utilizes incorrect spelling and simple languages. Despite being simple, the poem elicits a unique, individualistic, and reflective feeling. In essence, the poem might represent the African Americans' effort to establish their identity during the Black Arts Movement.