A Summer of Poetry by Alan Anderson

 

Words jump around,

they mingle in my head,

they keep me awake when I have gone to bed.

They wake me up with a giggle and a “hee hee”

then remind me morning always means coffee.

I tell myself as I think of summer,

without a book, it would be a bummer.

                                by Alan Anderson

 

This summer I am reading, as well as writing poetry. Poetry is the genre I focus on these days, at least for the most part. I mentioned in my February 22, 2021 InScribe blog post how a sleep apnea condition has left me with slight memory and concentration challenges. These challenges persist but I cope well with them, for the most part. The challenges teach me the importance of persistence in my call to write. I need the embrace of poetry these days.

 

My goal to write well means I also want to read well. This summer I am reading A Poetry Handbook by Mary Oliver. I am also reading and studying a book I love called The Poet’s Companion, by Kim Addonizio and Dorianne Laux. As I read these books, they teach me about the craft of poetry. They also remind me of the love and curiosity I had for poetry and stories I enjoyed as a boy.

 

I remember when I made my way through the obstacles of my life as a young boy, I resonated with certain characters. Do you remember Jack and Jill? Here is a brief look at an experience in their lives. Disclaimer: Even after decades of being read by countless children and adults, this stanza is not for the squeamish.

 

Jack and Jill went up the hill,

To fetch a pail of water;

Jack fell down and broke his crown.

And Jill came tumbling after.

 

I understand this poem later informs readers Jack, and Jill suffered no permanent injuries. As a boy I didn’t know this. For years I wondered if Jack ever went up this hill again. A question about his fall haunted me. Did his crown ever heal or reach a level of repair where he didn’t walk around with a huge bump on his head?

 

I read a story in my childhood still stuck in the recesses of my boyish memory. The story of Hansel and Gretel. Please forgive me if the very mention of the title causes readers to shudder. The story of these two beautiful souls offered me an introduction to horror stories. Oh, my Lord, the thought of the witch and her mean intentions for Hansel and Gretel haunts me. I admit in a similar light the way the witch met her end brings no pleasure to my creative leanings.

 

I share these memories from my childhood to say my imagination remains inspired through poetry and stories to this day. I also see the need to learn more about the craft of writing poetry. This is a reason I enjoy working through A Poetry Handbook and The Poet’s Companion. Books like these encourage me to appreciate poetry even more. They reinforce the need of poets to be aware and respect formal poetry and the popular free verse style common today.

 

I am entering a new chapter in my life story as I allow poetry to absorb me. As I write my poems, I embrace them like companions. I also embrace times of solitude to allow the poems time to gather their thoughts to express themselves. The poems understand me more than I understand myself.

Alan lives in Deroche, B.C. with his wife, Terry. He contributed stories to Good Grief People by Angel Hope Publishing, 2017, Story by Story: The Power of a Writer, Unstoppable Writers Publishing, 2018, and Easter Stories & More, by InScribe Christian Writers’ Fellowship, 2021. He has also written articles for FellowScript Magazine. Blog: https://scarredjoy.ca. Alan is the Provincial Rep. Liaison and BC Rep for InScribe.