H IS FOR HAUNTED

Okay, I'm not talking paranormal here, although clearly that is a most popular genre. I'm speaking about the writer, how it helps to pursue those subjects or characters that haunt you.

Come on, you know what I'm talking about... the ones who keep you up at night. The ones you have secret conversations with. The ones that just seem to keep on popping up no matter how hard you try to dismiss them.

For a while, all my ghosts seemed to come from Gee's Bend, Alabama. So instead of fighting it, I invited them in for sweet iced tea, asked them to take off their shoes and warm their toes in front of the fire. And then I wrote down everything they said.

So if you're struggling with which story to pursue, pay attention to those ghosts. They can be really good company. Once you get past your fear.

QUILT THIS!

I am just back from Birmingham Quilters Guild QUILTFEST 2009, where visitors were greeted by this sight:



Insides we saw quilts with stars



and pinwheels



and flowers



and words...



round ones



and ones sewn into other useful shapes.



Talk about a feast for the senses... I am totally inspired! Well done, quilters!

G IS FOR GOOD ENOUGH

Probably one of the biggest problems you can have as a writer is a bent toward perfectionism. That sounds wrong, doesn't it? Let me explain.

A perfectionist works and reworks the first sentence (or first chapter) over and over and over again, fiddling with this word and that... meanwhile, the rest of the novel never gets written.

A perfectionist is so invested in those worked and reworked words that he or she cannot let go of them when an editor or critiquer comes along and says, "snip snip."

A perfectionist may have a way more beautiful first chapter than I do, but, honey, I've got a whole book.

So let go of that idea of perfect words. Writing is the ultimate process. Growth is continuous. But you've got to reach a point where you say, "good enough" and let that baby fly. Otherwise you're going to be in the same spot forever. And how boring would that be??

Besides, imperfection doesn't make a thing less beautiful. Just look at the picture above... adds character, right? :)

WHY RICHARD PECK IS AWESOME

Okay, this could be a very long post, because I have long been a fan of Richard Peck's. And I am not alone: he's a much-loved genuine classic.

Here's the reason he's awesome today: he blurbed my book!

"Ludelphia Bennett reaffirms the human spirit and defines survival in the beautifully stitched quilt of a novel."

- Richard Peck, A SEASON OF GIFTS

Now excuse me while I go buy even more copies of Peck's books.... starting with the newest, newest, available in September.

POETRY FRIDAY

Today's roundup is being held by Brian Jung at Critique de Mr. Chompchomp. Go check it out!

And here's my contribution, in honor of the South Dakota trip -- a poem from an anthology entitled COWBOY POETRY MATTERS, edited by Robert McDowell, which we picked up at a great little used bookstore on the main drag in Custer.

Cowboy poetry is not just all about riding the range. There's some really wonderful poems included here. Like this one:

Ashes, After Fire

by Andy Wilkinson

I've seen the bluestem, stirrup-deep,
Become a blackened pyre,
A wasteland, buried in the heap
Of ashes, after fire.

The old, dead grass goes up in smoke,
The wind howls in the wire,
What was, is gone, deep in the cloak
Of ashes, after fire.

Yet quick, so quick, the ranges wear
Their spanking new attire,
As tender grass grows in the care
Of ashes, after fire.

Though alchemists have lost their call
Their magics still inspire
Gold seekers in the grimy pall
Of ashes, after fire.

Beautiful, isn't it? Can't you just see that prairie covered in new growth? Love it.

WHEN IN SOUTH DAKOTA (the best part)

When I was a little girl, I read and re-read the Little House books by Laura Ingalls Wilder. I wanted to BE Laura, especially the Melissa Gilbert version as seen on tv. There was just something about that life that was so tied to the land, so rooted in family, that absolutely appealed to me.

And you know what? It still does.

Which is why visiting the Ingalls Homestead in DeSmet, South Dakota was such a joy. Take a look:

Here we are on the porch of Ma's little cabin.



Here's the outhouse located near the barn.



Here's Eric getting cozy with a chicken.



And here's three boys just about to break a see-saw. :)



Too bad my memory card was full at this point... but my father had plenty of room on his camera and did his best to capture the little schoolhouse, the covered wagon ride, the big slough, the sod house, the boys making rope and twisting hay, and later, a couple of miles away, the graves where Pa and Ma and Carrie and Mary are buried.

If you are a Little House fan, this is a must-see. Next on my list: Laura's Rocky Ridge Farm in Mansfield, Missouri, where she actually wrote the books!

WHEN IN SOUTH DAKOTA (part 1)

There's so much to do in this lovely state, but you might start by...

admiring the buffalo at Custer State Park



visiting presidents here (in Rapid City with John Adams)



and here.



You can also eat buffalo ribs




support Lakota artists and the Crazy Horse Memorial



and visit funky places like the Corn Palace, where yes, the place is decorated in actual pieces of corn!



But THE BEST PART I am saving for next post. :)

POETRY FRIDAY

Sara Holmes is hosting Poetry Roundup at Read Write Believe this week, so go check it out! I give you this one -- one of the first in the historical women series -- that now needs some renovation. Your thoughts welcome!

How the Sacagawea River Got Its Name

Lewis and Clark chose Sacagawea
because they loved her first
for the rise and rhythm of her voice,
the way words tumbled from her lips
like whitewater over rocks,
how her body would twist and bend,
her hair rushing like snowmelt.

The only woman on the expedition,
she mothered and nursed, guided them
as if they were her cubs, at once
protective and resigned.
They wanted to give her something
more than the Pacific Ocean,
something bigger than the whale
carcass they watched her climb into,
something more permanent than the spears
she carved for them out of bone.

They were grateful for her guidance,
for her patience with words like
aster, anemone, bell.
She understood their need to name things,
never once mocked their belief in maps,
even though she was certain
a piece of paper could not contain
a river, a hill, a grove of pine.

Sacagawea, they whispered,
hands folded as if in prayer.
The river never failed to answer.

- Irene Latham

DEAR MAMA AND RAY,

So on my mama's most recent visit, she brought me a treasure: a collection of letters she and my father wrote to her mother and stepfather (Mama and Ray) while our family was living in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, way back in the 1970's.

It's fascinating. And not just because it's about me and those I love. It's got history (we were there when King Faisal was assassinated) and it's a great record of what it's like to be young parents with four stair-step children and one on the way. And it's like stepping into another world, the way they detail daily life in Riyadh.

And now, of course, I've got a story brewing....

ARC ALERT!

So a couple of Tenners have gotten their ARCs, which is like, so super exciting!

You know what else is cool? I got my greedy little hands on this one:



What to say about it??

1. It's pink. (You noticed, didn't you.)
2. It's funny. (If you know LL, then this won't surprise you.)
3. It has IMPACT.

Yep. Read it. You'll see what I'm talking about... well done, LL!!

POETRY FRIDAY

Welcome, poetry lovers! Roundup is here... so leave your name and link and a little bit about your post in comments and I'll corral them periodically throughout the day. This little tradition has been a wonderful addition to my week... I truly believe poetry makes the world a better place, and I have so enjoyed the posts on all of your sites in recent weeks.

As for my own contribution, I give you a steamy poem I wrote after listening and listening to Norah Jones. I was so pleased and honored when it appeared in Motif: Writing by Ear. If you enjoy writings about music, this is a must-have anthology. Seriously. Excellent stuff.

After Listening to Norah Jones’ Come Away with Me

I remember your weathered
mouth at daybreak

how it disappeared
over a steaming hill
and my ears filled
with a fierce humming.

Go tend the barbed wire.

I will wait for you
on the shuck mattress
red roof unpinned
and ripening.

I will hold the heavy
bucket, fill it
with golden sagebrush
and puffs of cinnamon smoke.

You be the nightingale
and sing us a song.

- Irene Latham

Mary Lee features a cecropia moth that we found in our school garden earlier this week.

Laura has 15 Words or Less poems up.

Sara has some thoughts some puzzlement over Wallace Stevens' line "I wish that I might be a thinking stone."


Stella wrote a poem about Mother Reader's coming up event 48 Hour Reading Challenge.

Tricia has a poem by Gregory Orr.

The Write Sisters look at Write Your Own Poetry by Laura Salas.

Kurious Kitty is in with "Lost" by Carl Sandburg.

Gregory K. has a post on made up words and invites you to share yours.

Diane suggests differentiating haiku from haiku.

Andromeda has a couple or original poems for her children's teachers today.

John Mutford has favorites from Henry Reed.

Violet has an original poem on sewing (girl after my own heart!)

Blackeyed Susan shares a poem by Nita Penfold.

Color Online offers an original poem.

The Stenhouse Blog has two poems by Olivia Varner.

Kelly has an original poem.

At Wild Rose Reader, poems in limbo.

At Blue Rose Girls, a Marie Howe mother-daughter poem.

Kelly offers a Ben Jonson poem.

Ray has an original poem.

At Bildungsroman , song lyrics.

At Knocking from Inside, an original poem entitled "Mad Birds."

Janet has NPR's recession haiku and a Wendell Berry poem.

Tabatha offers haiku (and haiku-ish). Love it! :)

TS offers an original poem.

Readertotz offers Around the Green Gravel.

Lorie Ann has an orignal poem.

Mitali also has an original poem.

Karen has Billy Collins' Workshop (one of my faves!)

Serena offers an original poem.

Liz's poem has gone to the DOGS!

Chicken Spaghetti shares a Mark Doty poem.

Jill shares an original acrostic poem.

Julie's got an original sonnet. !!

Susan shares an original award-winning poem.

Erin shares an original "california" poem.

Sherrie shares an interview with Thalia Chaltas, author of verse novel BECAUSE I AM FURNITURE.

Sarah has a (not autobiographical) original poem. :)

Jennie shares a review of I HEART YOU, YOU HAUNT ME by Lisa Schroeder.

Sylvia is in with a review of COME TO THE CASTLE (and a contest -go see!!)

Bri shares a William Carlos Williams poem and a link to other poems inspired by art.

PROJECT FOR THE DAY

Today I am using this pattern


and this fabric



and this woman (my mama) whom I love so very much



to create something beautiful.

It's the little things, isn't it??

RECENT READS

HOW I LIVE NOW by Meg Rosoff: I'm a little late jumping onto this bandwagon, but I love the voice in this one. Also the love story. It'll break your heart.

WATER STREET by Crystal Wilkinson: These are inter-related short stories, and I loved them. Isn't there always a story behind the story?? This book tells both the surface stories we show our neighbors and the really deep stories we sometimes aren't even quite aware of ourselves. I would love to write a book of short stories in a similar vein (kind of like Paul Fleischman did with SEEDFOLKS).

THE FOREST OF HANDS AND TEETH by Carrie Ryan: Zombie apocalyse stories are not usually my thing, but this book held my attention in spite of that particular detail. It really is all about the characters. I was rooting for Mary the whole way down those creepy trails.

SHINE COCONUT MOON by Neesha Meminger: I love a book that introduces me to a new world, and this one sure did. The best part was discovering it WITH the main character. I think we all struggle with this "who am I?" issue at multiple points in life... good stuff.

THE WELL AND THE MINE by Gin Phillips: This one is set in Birmingham 1930's West Jefferson County, Alabama, which, of course, is coal mining country. And with my book LEAVING GEE'S BEND also being set in 1930's Alabama, I was particularly interested in this story. What I found was that the coal mining families in Gin's book weren't nearly as impoverished as the sharecropper families in Gee's Bend. I am really looking forward to July when Gin presents "Making History Come Alive" and delivers the keynote at Alabama Writers Conclave.

IF THE LEGENDS FADE by Tom Hendrix: Now here is a fascinating tale. Young native American girl marched off to the Indian Nations in Oklahoma then escapes and walks for five years to get back to the place where the river sings (Tennessee River in Florence, Alabama).

What's next? Oh, the list is very long. But I think it will be THE HELP by Kathryn Stockett. I've heard good things... I'll let you know.

POETRY FRIDAY

My mind is just full of poetry after Kentucky, and I am devoting Poetry Friday to polishing up some pieces to take with me to next workshop.

Meanwhile, here is my contribution to Poetry Friday, another in the historical women series that appears in EINSTEIN AT THE ODEON CAFE. Be sure to check out Poetry Friday Roundup hosted by Susan Taylor Brown at Susan Writes.

Picasso’s Widow Ends Her Life

It seemed a river of crimson ran
even before Jacqueline fired the gun --

the wild roses that once climbed the trellis
now spilled across the kitchen tile

and bloomed on the carpet in the next room.
In the beginning they loved with the purity

of sunlight and slept with child-like abandon,
but love finds its true voice in time.

Without him her skin fell into blue lines,
her eyes were shattered by ghosts,

her neck and arms plundered by those
innocent of the simple faith

of women who choose to love the unfaithful.
He was good to me, she thought,

just before she pulled the trigger.
He painted me with flowers.

- Irene Latham

I HEART KENTUCKY

Just back from The Gathering at Greenbo Lake State Park in northeast Kentucky.

Gorgeous, I tell you.

And the artists, writers, musicians I had the privilege and honor to meet and share space with... generous, amazing talented folks. Now I've got mountain music going all through my brain thanks to Kate Larkin and Sue Massek and Silas House and many others. Wonderful, wonderful. Don't have better words for it quite yet.

And now it's just one more day of school till summer vacation. My kids are busy planning all the things they are going to do with all that sweet time. Do I ever remember what that's like...

POETRY FRIDAY

I am loving this Poetry Friday thing! I love reading other people's words and what they have to say about other people's words. Check out the Round Up here.

And here is my contribution -- another in the historical women series that appears in EINSTEIN AT THE ODEON CAFE. Ever wondered what a ship might say??

The Nina Remembers Columbus

Three sisters, but I was the one he loved best.

His wife? She may have borne him a son
but I taught him to swim in possibility.
I baptized him in a hundred oceans
and introduced him to the New World.

He favored me, ask anyone.
Voyage after voyage we sailed, my ropes
taut in his hands, his boots claiming my deck,
his voice a booming song to lift my sails.

For him, I conquered warring currents,
discovered Cuba and placed him upon her shore,
delivered him from the eye of a hurricane.
And when he dropped anchor

I did not cry like the open-mouthed gulls.
I counted each bruising stroke as he rowed
away in his launch, then waited for his return
with the patience of wood.

My sisters, they meant nothing to me.

- Irene Latham

F IS FOR FRESH

It’s what we all want: something fresh. And yes, perhaps it is true that every story has already been told. But obviously we like those stories or we wouldn’t keep reading and writing them! So the key is to take an old idea and put a new spin on it. Make it new and exciting. Make it your own. And that, precisely, is where things get imprecise. Because there is no recipe for fresh. It just is. And editors (and readers) know it when they read it.

But. There is a way to open up those fresh channels in the old noggin. The first is to quit being lazy -- don’t lean on tired clichés. Even in your daily writing - your email to your best friend or your notes to self -- make it fresh.

And when you’re feeling stale, go out and have a fresh experience. Go to a park or exhibit. Try a new food or store of drive to work. Read on a subject you’ve never read before. Play with perspective -- look at a rose under a magnifying glass, then admire the whole garden from a second story window. Put that mind to work making new connections. Your writing will be fresh as a result.

This post is a continuation of my series of Author ABC's. Click on tag to view A is for Agent, B is for Beginnings, C is for Change, D is for Danger, E is for Everyman.

Oh! And speaking of fresh, check out 5th generation Alabamian Ginger's interview of me at Deep Fried Kudzu! Lots of yummy recipes there too....

AVONDALE ART FEAST

You know what's great about spring? All the art shows!



I had a blast with son Eric and artist Liz Reed in the children's tent where we helped young artists draw flowers and fruit and ducks.



Of course Eric had to be different and drew something really special. Check out his rendering of Regalia, the underground city in his current fave book GREGOR THE OVERLANDER by Suzanne Collins. Now you KNOW a book is good when it can inspire something as detailed as this!



And how sweet is this little family?



ART, I tell you...

THE BEST PLACE TO BUY BOOKS

... at Indie bookstores, of course! Especially during May, which is National Independent Booksellers Month. And you can read all about some awesome Indies at Shrinking Violet Promotions. Today's post is by yours truly, about MILESTONE BOOKS, the best little Indie in Birmingham. Check it out!

Also, in celebration of Children's Book Week, Shelly over at Write for a Reader is giving away books! And she allowed me to guest post on the topic of What to Expect when You're Expecting a Book. Go visit!

"The world can only be grasped by action, not contemplation."

- Jacob Bronowski

THE GIRLS' BILL OF RIGHTS

It was my pleasure to speak with these GIRLS INC. girls about what it's like to be a writer. Even my son who tagged along (and was the only boy in the room!) had fun. They were a wonderful audience, and I can't wait to read their stories someday.

As a social worker in a previous life, I find it especially gratifying to merge writing with successful social programs. And I was thrilled to walk away with a little goodie bag that included The Girls' Bill of Rights:

Girls have the right to be themselves and to resist gender stereotypes.

Girls have the right to express themselves with originality and enthusiasm.

Girls have the right to take risks, tho strive freely, and to take pride in success.

Girls have the right to accept and appreciate their bodies.

Girls have the right to have confidence in themselves and to be safe in the world.

Girls have the right to prepare for intersting work and economic independence.

In short, Girls can do ANYTHING.

POETRY FRIDAY

So I've just joined the super-cool Kidlitosphere group, and they do several poetry things, one of which is Poetry Friday. Round up is here.

I have previously blogged my poems on SHOWCASE SUNDAY posts, but this group thing is so much more fun! So here's another of the historical women series that appears in EINSTEIN AT THE ODEON CAFE.



Available at Amazon and Reed Books and Churn Dash Press.

Abe Lincoln Speaks of Mary Todd

She’s bold as a blackberry, my Molly
and it’s true, I love her

but a man who grows up in the woods
knows a trap when he sees one

a man who’s spent whole days
chopping lumber knows pine splits

different from oak and you can’t
approach one the way you would the other.

A man who’s lived off the land
knows the cunning of fox,

the resourcefulness of bear.
As soon as she turned those sparkling

blue eyes from mine, I knew
the baby was a lie.

And that’s why tomorrow
I’m going to marry her:

she doesn’t know it, but I can
read her like I can name the track

of every animal native to Indiana.
I know where she’s been

and where she wants to take me.
A man who grows up in the woods

knows the wild will always be wild,
and love is not about taming.

- Irene Latham

THE CASE FOR DEEDS, NOT WORDS

So I've been thinking about this article by Liz Smith I read in Parade this past Sunday about actress Amy Adams, in which she (Amy)was talking about what it was like to work with Meryl Streep on the film Doubt.

Liz asked, "Did she [Meryl Streep] give you any advice?

Amy replied: "No, which I appreciated. She set an example. There was no hand-holding, no condescending. What could give you more confidence and more reason to do your best?"

I LOVE that.

HORSE BOOKS I HAVE LOVED

Don't you love when a long-shot wins the Kentucky Derby? I mean, I have never actually put on a hat and stood in the stands at Churchill Downs, but I can just imagine the thrill of watching the horse you only bet on because you liked his name WIN. Or even if you didn't bet on him. It's still really cool to see a horse come from behind and tear up the track like that.

One of these days I'm gonna go. And I'm taking my sister with me. Meanwhile, here's a quick list of five favorite horse books:

The Black Stallion by Walter Farley (and the movie! Beautiful beautiful gorgeous. I so wanted to BE Alec on that deserted island. And then I read and re-read every single title in the series.)

Black Beauty by Anna Sewell (A story from the horse's perspective! How cool is that?)

Horse Heaven by Jane Smiley (One I've enjoyed as an adult.)

Misty of Chincoteague by Marguerite Henry (another horse-related thing on my to-do list: check out the wild ponies at Chincoteague Island)

Cammie's Choice by Jane McIlvaine (I never could decide: a racer or a jumper?? This one's about a jumper, and I LOVE it. Still have my well worn copy from childhood -- looks just like the pic above, only mine has a cracked spine and more wear on the cover.)

Would love to hear from other horse lovers about favorite horse books!

MY KINGDOM FOR A CHICK

Meet Oliver, our newest addition.

Eric has a super-cool teacher who hatches eggs every spring, and he has been looking forward to it all schoolyear. So now here he is. At least for a few weeks... my sister doesn't know it yet, but this one will be calling her chicken coop home very very soon. :)



I'd do just about anything for that smile...

"Nothing you do for children is ever wasted. They seem not to notice us, hovering, averting our eyes, and they seldom offer thanks, but what we do for them is never wasted."

- Garrison Keillor

FAVORITE POEM #15

painting by Debbie Neill

End of April

Under a cherry tree
I found a robin's egg,
broken, but not shattered.

I had been thinking of you,
and was kneeling in the grass
among fallen blossoms

when I saw it: a blue scrap,
a delicate toy, as light
as confetti

It didn't seem real,
but nature will do such things
from time to time.

I looked inside:
it was glistening, hollow,
a perfect shell

except for the missing crown,
which made it possible
to look inside.

What had been there
is gone now
and lives in my heart

where, periodically,
it opens up its wings,
tearing me apart.


- Phillis Levin

How 'bout that for an appropriate end to National Poetry Month? The poem is extra-special to me because of the person who first shared it with me. Amazing how flat words on a page can take on incredible dimensions when they are linked to an actual human experience. That's the whole point, after all.... to connect, to share, to be bound by words.

And tomorrow it's on to May. Lots going on in these parts. I'll keep you posted. Meanwhile, thanks for reading!

FAVORITE POEM #14

Celebrate National Poetry Month!!

Today I am lifting an original poem from fellow poet-blogger Khaled's site. Khaled is passionate about poetry and he pulls off something in this poem that I strive for: poignancy AND humor. I love how this one makes me smile.

Our relationship was
full
long
straight
smooth

and for a change
curly
trimmed
highlighted
reddish

and with time
short
thin
grayish
in need of conditioner

Why are you staring at me now that I am bald
and why
are you holding those scissors?

- Khaled KEM

Speaking of smiles, I've been invited to do a little segment on a local tv station.

When I told my youngest son I was wondering what I should wear, he said, "wear what you wore yesterday!" Which was a nice teal-colored top and actually the very thing I thought of! And how amazing that he even remembered what I wore the day before, much less imagined that it would be a good choice for television??

My husband, who was listening, leaned over and whispered in my ear, "and you wish you had a girl."

LOVE that boy.

FAVORITE POEM #13

Celebrate National Poetry Month!!

Today's favorite poem is from YA writer R.A. Nelson, author of TEACH ME, BREATHE MY NAME and the forthcoming DAYS OF LITTLE TEXAS. He says he has many favorites that tend to shift and change with time. Here is one of his current faves:

Pied Beauty

Glory be to God for dappled things—
For skies of couple-colour as a brinded cow;
For rose-moles all in stipple upon trout that swim;
Fresh-firecoal chestnut-falls; finches' wings;
Landscape plotted and pieced—fold, fallow, and plough;
And áll trades, their gear and tackle and trim.
All things counter, original, spáre, strange;
Whatever is fickle, frecklèd (who knows how?)
With swíft, slów; sweet, sóur; adázzle, dím;
He fathers-forth whose beauty is pást change:


Práise hím.

- Gerard Manley Hopkins

Russ says, "What I love about this poem is how it recognizes beauty in all its wondrous forms...not just the large and dazzling, but the small, subtle, even forgotten or ignored. Beauty is everywhere -- the universe is a creation beyond imagining...a gift which greets us each day if we will only allow it to do so.

I love how this poem fits in the mouth...I love the feel of its clicking consonants juxtaposed against the assonance, all the internal similarities of sound. I love how in such a short space Hopkins manages to catalog so many wonderfully diverse, yet subtlety connected concrete images. And the first time (and every time thereafter) that I ever read the poem, the last two lines suddenly turned the whole thing so sharply (and rapturously) outward toward the infinite and the size of the blessings we have been bequeathed, that it made the little hairs stand up on the back of my neck. Praise him, indeed."

Is anyone else noticing a theme here?? Yes, beauty is everywhere. Even in the small things. Maybe with poetry, especially in the small things.

Quick update:
1. Took kids to see their first live comedy show -- James Gregory. So fun to see them laugh so hard! My face actually hurt from laughing by the time it was over.
2. Limestone Dust Poetry Festival was inspiring, as ever. So many great poets in the world!
3. Our a/c is not working. Of course this would happen the first day the mercury hits 90 degrees for 2009.
4. Poetry Month is coming to a close. I've got two more events in celebration: a school visit to Inverness Elementary and a presentation at Hoover Senior Center. Then it's over for another year. Looking forward to May flowers!!

FAVORITE POEM #12

Celebrate National Poetry Month!!


"Spotted Flowers on a Tabletop" oil on canvas in artist's painted frame 35.25" x 29.25" x 1.5" $2400

Today's favorite comes from amazing writer/artist Sarah Rakes, creator of the gorgeous painting above. Check out more of her paintings at Marcia Weber's online gallery.

Returning to Earth

I'm getting very old. If I were a mutt
in dog years I'd be seven, not stray so far.
I am large. Tarpon my age are often large
but they are inescapably fish. A porpoise
my age was the King of New Guinea in 1343.
Perhaps I am the king of my dogs, cats, horses
but I have dropped any notion of explaining
to them why I read so much. To be mysterious
is a prerogative of kingship. I discovered
lately that my subjects do not live a life,
but are life itself. They do not recognize
the pain of the schizophrenia of kingship.
To them I am pretty much a fellow creature.

- Jim Harrison

Sarah says, "Jim Harrison uses sharp images to expresses the everyday sacred and takes common verbs and turns them into royalty." And isn't that exactly what we writers strive to do?

FAVORITE POEM #11

Celebrate National Poetry Month!!

Because I LOVE love poems, and I happen to write them as well, people often ask me to reveal my most favorite love poem. It's an impossible task, of course, because love is such a great subject, and there are so many many ways to experience it. So today I give you ONE of my favorite love poems, by the amazing Sharon Olds.

TRUE LOVE

In the middle of the night, when we get up
after making love, we look at each other in
complete friendship, we know so fully
what the other has been doing. Bound to each other
like mountaineers coming down from a mountain,
bound with the tie of the delivery-room,
we wander down the hall to the bathroom, I can
hardly walk, I wobble through the granular
shadowless air, I know where you are
with my eyes closed, we are bound to each other
with huge invisible threads, our sexes muted exhausted, crushed, the whole
body of sex-surely this
is the most blessed time of my life,
our children asleep in their beds, each fate
like a vein of abiding mineral
not discovered yet. I sit
on the toilet in the night, you are somewhere in the room,
I open the window and snow has fallen in a
steep drift, against the pane, I
look up, into it,
a wall of cold crystals, silent
and glistening, I quietly call to you
and you come and hold my hand and say
I cannot see beyond it. I cannot see beyond it.

- Sharon Olds

I love being married, love "each fate/like a vein of abiding mineral/not discovered yet." And yes, that feeling: "I cannot see beyond it."

photo found here