“Because I never know when I’ll find the secret something I need to get through the day, in a handful of oddly spaced words.” — from The Joy of Poetry, by Megan Willome
Guest Post by Megan Willome
Suppose — for funsies — you decide to read a poem today. Just one. Nothing too long. Something from this century. Let’s say you pick Dana Gioia’s “New Year’s.” You pick it because you know what New Year’s is; you’ve celebrated it every year of your life.
It’s going to be a hard day at work, nothing you can’t handle but not the kind of day you’re looking forward to. You don’t really want a “You go, girl!” You’re not in the mood for the bland comfort of “It’s gonna be OK.” Maybe you need to be distracted.
You have 5 minutes.
You read the poem.
Hmmm. There’s a lot there.
The words are clear, although you’re not completely sure what it all means. If you had more than 5 minutes, there’s a lot you could unpack. But you have 5 minutes.
You like this sentence: “The present is / The leaky palm of water that we skim / From the swift, silent river slipping by.”
Oh, look — “present” and “palm” both have P’s. And “swift, silent river slipping by” sounds great. You say those five words aloud. Hey, there’s some rhyme.
But you like most the “leaky palm”. You remember being a child on a camping trip, scooping water from a river. Your hands couldn’t hold it all. The water leaked out through your palms (although you would never have used those words). You never got a good drink.
Your 5 minutes is up. Time to go.
At work you pour a cup of coffee and think about the “leaky palm.” You’re so glad the mug you’re holding doesn’t leak. Later in a meeting someone uses the word “skim,” and you think of the poem and smile, and no one knows why you’re smiling. The day is exactly as unfun as you expected. On the drive home you notice the river you drive past every day. You notice it’s always “slipping by.” How did you never notice before?
Those 5 minutes with the poem, they didn’t change your life, didn’t supply the secrets of the universe. The poem didn’t even change the facts of your day — it was still a tough day. But those 5 minutes, they weren’t wasted.
Maybe tomorrow you’ll read another poem.
Tea. Poetry. Tea. Poetry. Tea. That’s how Megan starts her writing day.
She serves as managing editor and contributing writer for the WACOAN, a monthly magazine in Waco, Texas.
The Joy of Poetry, a memoir-ish look at her long relationship with poetry (published by T.S. Poetry Press) is Megan’s first book.
You can connect with Megan at her blog, as well as on Twitter: @meganwillome.
Michelle,
Did you write all the text of this post, or Megan? I wasn’t quite sure, and didn’t know quite to whom to address this or thank for this post! 🙂 But I can surely thank you both for sharing anything about poetry. I had a poetry rebirth in my thirties. Essentially my mother was challenging me to “read a poem a day”–not in that exact way, but the essence. She had always loved poetry and had tried her hand at it. So I began consuming it, and then I began penning my own. My poetry was pretty terrible, actually. I’ve improved only a little; but nonetheless I still love writing it. The smaller container of the form allows me to capture subtleties of life and in a memorable way. And I am constantly reading poetry for its beauty, its lyricism, its rhyme; its rhythm; its insight. Thank you so much for this book recommendation, and congratulations to Megan! Wonderful!
Love
Lynn
Oh gosh, it’s Megan’s post, Lynn – sorry I didn’t make that clear. I just edited it a bit so that readers would know these are her words. I live in my own little head, where everything is perfectly clear to me. 🙂 Thanks for pointing that out!
And by the way, I’ve read some of your poems, Lynn, and I’ve loved every one.
Well, this should have been obvious to me, but what a wonderful endorsement from you as well. And what a lovely and unexpected compliment to me. Thanks so much, Michelle!
xxoo
Thank you, Lynn. And I think it’s great that you’re writing poems. Don’t worry about whether they’re good or not–just keep writing!
This book sounds like an absolute winner, Michelle. Thanks for sharing!
Blessings!
It’s so good, Martha – highly recommended!
I have been writing poetry since my teens. It is not remarkable in content, but I try to create a poem for special occasions, such as Christmas, Easter and unremarkable subjects such as my cats. I composed poems for both my brother and mother within a year of each of their deaths. Through this experience, I found a way to express my grief, my love and the privilege of knowing these two wonderful people. It is as Megan wrote, a way to get through a day whether it is one of joy or sorrow. A poem can bring comfort and relief from the burdens of the day. Since reading Psalms, I realize the beauty of their poetic truths and try to read one at least every day to keep my heart focused on God’s perspective. It brings peace to any turbulent times. Now I’ll expand my search to check out some poets and read them as well. Who knows what thoughts and truths are concealed in their contents. Thanks for this great introduction to a way to enjoy life fully.
Kathy, I’ve written plenty of poems about my dogs. I get it!
Michelle, I am reading your posts on poetry with interest. . .having been a poetry-phobe since the trauma of grade 12 English, I suddenly found myself drawn to poetry about two weeks ago. I picked up an extremely weighty book from our family bookshelf called “The Book of Virtues”. My eyes landed on several poems the most meaningful to me called “Solitude” by Ella Wilcox. I then began to read other poems throughout the book. It was interesting because the poems, not the stories, in this fat volume spoke to me. I pondered this over several days & mentioned it to a friend. She told me that reading poetry activates our limbic system and has a calming effect. Wow! That explained it. . .we are in the midst of some extremely stressful events (that’s putting it nicely!). Could poetry be just what the doctored ordered? Perhaps!
I remember that book, and I think starting with the poems in it is a great way to begin.
Ah, yes, poetry. Of course, we had to read it in High School, which I was not too fond of, mainly because I couldn’t relate and couldn’t for the life of me figure out what the author was meaning to say (except for Robert Frost, The Road Less Travled). But this, what Megan shares, is exactly the type of contemplative living I’ve been drawn into these past few years. I know I need this book in my life. Thank you for sharing.
Unlike in high school, if you read a poem and don’t like it, you can skip it. No one’s grading you now.