To dream is to fly

Looking up at the gathering clouds, I see two tiny specks flying so high I can barely see them. I realize they are a pair of hawks riding the air currents in and out of the clouds. They swoop and soar - I can only imagine what the world below must look like as they gain altitude then pause just long enough to turn and dive at breakneck speed back towards the earth. I wonder if these are one of the two pairs of red-tailed hawks that I see (and hear) in the field and woods. As I’m imagining what it must feel like to be so free and powerful, I wonder - how high can a red-tailed hawk fly?

Courtesy of a National Geographic search result, I read that hawk pairs (who mate for life) “fly in large circles and gain altitude before the male plunges into a deep dive and subsequent steep climb back to circling height”. A red-tail can circle at over 5,000 feet and when diving, can reach speeds of 120 mph. Amazing as that is, there are certain kinds of geese that can reach 29,000 feet in flight, but the record’s held by a Ruppell’s Griffon Vulture - an astonishing 37,000 feet! (Unfortunately, I believe the winner met his demise in a jet engine…)

Just by watching the hawks, I shared in their exhilaration - the rush of wind, the feeling of lift from a thermal, the absolute freedom of flight. As artistic people, we dream - it’s critical to our spirit and soul. We know what it feels like to experience that unseen lift of inspiration that can take us to new heights of imagination and productivity. We understand laser focus on a goal, and the feeling of freedom that comes from a burst of creativity that transcends time and place. As artists, we are powerful, especially when we simply let ourselves take creative flight and soar!v.

       Seek wonder. Embrace joy!

Supporting article:

The 10 Highest Flying Birds In The World

Introducing my Zazzle shop!

What an amazing time it’s been since the first of this year! I’ve “retired” from 30+ years at SAS Software (yes, it’s a wonderful company!) and I’ve been happily exploring several new projects. (You’ll find a link to one them under “Shops” - a new greeting card collection on Zazzle using some of my Instagram photographs. I’ve also been busy helping wrap up our softball documentary (see “Projects”) and I’m working on a new documentary with the working title “Saturday Left Behind” about one form of beach pollution - trash. Also enjoying working with all manner of creative and supportive folks in my role as Hillsborough Poet Laureate. All by way of saying I know it’s been awhile since I’ve posted here, but I’m looking forward to staying in touch much more frequently around our collective writing adventures!

Signed, a happy Dee gearing up for Table Rock Writer’s Workshop!

Signed, a happy Dee gearing up for Table Rock Writer’s Workshop!

OBJECT SPEAK

There is pattern and meaning hidden in the objects in our lives. Yes, of course, the parts and pieces that make up a kitchen are there for a purpose. And we routinely change and arrange our living spaces. When we do that we consider things from functionality to color to fengshui. But decorating your home isn’t what I’m talking about. I’m suggesting that we, as poets, begin to see poetic meaning within the forms surrounding us. That we pay attention to the layers of meaning in the objects we see in our world. That we begin to feel and understand the mists that rise from object landscapes.

 Consider this grouping of objects: the clothes basket, which sits on the chair that has a hat slung over the back. Beyond that, it’s the chair that went with the dining room table you grew up with, so, in essence, the clothes basket holding the objects with which you cover yourself with is perched on the object where your father or uncle or aunt sat for Thanksgiving dinners. And the hat, a black Stetson, came from New Mexico and your blue-eyed grandmother looked stunning wearing it.

 So, the poem from all of this could be something like:

 

            Woven wicker seat holds remnants

            of lives rich as warm Southern gravy

            spreading now into shirts, socks, shorts,

            memories of times spent - threadbare

            now, yet crowned with the glory of heritage

            like a stunning black Stetson showing

            off her turquoise band cinched tight.

 

What just happened here? (Ok, hold on, this exercise does make sense…) I looked at a random collection of objects and opened myself to whatever thoughts occurred to me. I remembered something about form, function, history, and purpose. I then wrote about those affects rather than purely describing a chair, clothes basket, and hat.

Look around and give this approach a try - just be open to what comes to you. Initial thoughts may seem nonsensical, but I bet enough of the “spirit” of these things begins to materialize for you to start writing. The wonderful part of this kind of writing is who knows where it comes from and where this particular way of looking at your world will carry you. Enjoy :-)

EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED

There’s been a lot written about expecting the unexpected. Reactions to the phrase run the gamut from rolled eyes and “Really? You’re quoting that?” to “Yep, that’s true.” 

Apparently, Coach Bear Bryant used this phrase often. And Oscar Wilde said, “To expect the unexpected shows a thoroughly modern intellect.”

One of my favorite versions of this expression is, “What you’re seeking will not come in the form you’re expecting.” So true, especially on our writing path. Here’s my most recent example:

If you had told me that I would become the next Poet Laureate of my small town I’d have laughed. Well, guess what?

I’m the new Poet Laureate of Hillsborough, N.C. There was a rigorous selection process and I’m very honored to be given this opportunity to share and promote poetry locally. When I received the email from an Arts Council rep saying, “You’re IT,” I was incredulous.

As you all know, I’m not that far along my poetry path, but I am completely devoted to it. So, here goes! During my two-year tenure, I’m planning to promote, “Community Poetry”. I plan to give folks across our town the opportunity to learn about and share *their* poetry. More on this soon… 

My thought to all you creatives is this: When the unexpected happens, embrace it. The Universe has provided you with “something” — take it, shape it, share it, promote it. It could be something difficult, something wonderful, or a mix of both. If you find $5.00, buy ice cream and give it to the kid asking for money outside the ice cream shop with his homeless friend. Just do it.

For now, know that amazing things await you and your art. As you honor your creative self by writing, painting, singing — the world will take notice in ways you least expect. Enjoy the adventure!

POETRY AND LETTERS

Over the past few years, I’ve carried on correspondence with several poet friends. Mostly in email, but also in the form of handwritten letters. I find that putting pen to paper is much more satisfying than sending off an email.

Why? Writing a letter slows me down. I gather my thoughts and I consider how the words look on the page. I’m free to sketch, doodle, illustrate. All are bits of non-linear scribbles that enhance or augment my written words.

Here’s where I add my “I don’t have an MFA” disclaimer. There’s an enormous amount of scholarly material around letters and poetry for you to explore. For example, there’s a poetic form called an “epistle” for poems that read as a letter. “To a Magazine” by Mary Ruefle and “Letter from Town: The Almond Tree” by D.H. Lawrence are two good examples.

Collections of letters by poets provide insightful and interesting reading. There are wonderful exchanges between well-known poets. For example, Langston Hughes and Bessie Head, or Robert Browning and Elizabeth Barrett Browning. Letters written between poet mentor and student are also good (and encouraging) reading. For example, “Letters to a Young Poet” by Rainer Maria Rilke.

Writing a letter is among the most personal activities any of us – poet or non-poet – ever does. One of my more memorable poetry-writing experiences started with the prompt: “write a letter to a family member about something that frustrates you.” My letter turned into a “rant poem” fueled by my long-internalized anger about expectations for a Southern woman. What started as a letter, and then continued as a rant, concluded with a surprisingly gentle tribute to my elderly aunts.

I hope you enjoy your letter-writing adventures. Save your exchanges with other poets and writer friends. Look back over your landscape of letters whenever you need a creative boost and a reminder that you’re not on this writing journey all by yourself.

 

 

References

Poet’s Letters (poets.org) https://www.poets.org/poetsorg/collection/poets-letters

“Poets and Their Letters” Review by Bruce Bawer  https://hudsonreview.com/2013/03/poets-and-their-letters-2/#.Ws-S7uSWziC

Poets.org discussion of “epistle” - https://www.poets.org/poetsorg/text/epistle-poetic-form

POETRY AND SOUND

The cadence of poetry is much like the meter and rhythm of music. Many poetic devices, such as alliteration, where repetition and pattern of sound engage the listener, can be used to enhance an image or mood that you create with your poem. While there are hundreds of books and courses devoted to the concept of sound in poetry, I want to encourage you to learn more by describing some ways that I use sound in my poems.

For starters, consider literally describing sound in your poems. Begin by paying attention to familiar day (and night) sounds. What images and emotions come to mind when you hear car horns and people in a busy intersection, as opposed to wind gathering in the distance, or rain pounding on a tin roof? What happens creatively when you can feel sound, as you do when you hear drumming or the bass pounding of a car radio? Close your eyes and tune into the sounds around you; a creaking floor, warm air forced through a heater vent, a squawking jay, or the hoot of an owl.

This January, an unusually heavy snow brought me the sound of winter silence. Quiet provides the opportunity to write about its opposite – a burst of doves in a snowy field, for example.

Here’s a quick line incorporating description of sound to prompt emotion:

 

    Metal wheels on track clatter and creak, what was comfort in childhood

       vanishes as the train disappears into rain and darkness...

 

How many ways can you interpret that line? A last good-bye? Impending tragedy?

Back for a moment to music and poetry. Rhythm and rhyme in verse stretches from “roses are red” to Slam and Performance Poetry (Katie Makkai, Joshua Bennett) to Shakespeare’s sonnets and the poetry of E.E. Cummings. For now, try to ensure your reader feels the rhythm of your words. Explore different poetry forms that serve to enhance rhythm and sound. Here’s an example from a pantoum I wrote about hurricane Ophelia. These lines both literally describe sound and in the context of the form build momentum, suspense, and power:

 

    “Gulls, crabs, and people go to hiding places, wind that once walked in breaks down doors,

         cap and show mix in with planks and plastic, waves pound in carried by the storm...”

 

I’ll close with an important note – read your poem drafts aloud. Do this so you can hear what your poem sounds like. I’m betting on a first reading you’ll hear awkward phrases and find better wording. Reading your poetry aloud is one of the best ways to ensure you lift and carry the reader along with the sound of your words.

Be sure and check out this month’s “You Might Like...” as I’ve included links to more information on poetry and sound.

 

Happy (creative!) New Year!

BEGINNING YOUR ARTISTIC ADVENTURE

More often than not, when I encourage someone to express themselves through art, the first three words I hear are, “Oh, I can’t write / paint / sculpt / dance / play music…” 

Why is “can’t” your impulsive reply? Perhaps because it’s hard to live in today’s world without hearing about someone who is the “best in the school / country / world / universe / wherever” at what she does. We live in a world where almost every moment is spent striving for excellence. With school, sports, friends, or work the pressure to excel is enormous. No wonder it’s easy to compare ourselves to everyone else while conveniently forgetting your most fundamental truth: They are not You. 

Here’s what I suggest: Recognize you are unique. Only one of You exists on the planet at this moment. Your experience and artistry are yours alone. What matters is that you bring your art into the world in whatever way you can, using whatever means you have. Even Beethoven’s 5th Symphony can be played using a Stradivarius or an instrument made from someone else’s trash (look up “The Recycled Orchestra”). But it is always Beethoven’s 5th.

Now back to writing, especially poetry: Begin by writing a word or two or three (via pen and paper, computer, or in your own creative way). The blank space is your canvas – you’re completely free to throw words on it – what you write doesn’t have to be linear across the page, form complete sentences, or make sense. Own that freedom!

Here’s a quick example:

“word.   elegant in its aloneness.  brave enough to appear even though

      sliding

                  down

                             the page

means    standing out     being different.   becoming Art.”

As you begin putting letters and words on a page, your inner muse (yes, you have one) will waken and help you bring your own creation into the world. Go for it, our world needs You and Your Art J.