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My guest this week on "Poetry from Daily Life" is Lesléa Newman, who lives in Massachusetts. Lesléa began writing 60 years ago. When asked about her favorite subject/theme/target audience, she replied, “I write for all ages in hopes of connecting with the humanity and kindness in all of us.” Two books she found especially meaningful to write are "I Carry My Mother" and "I Wish My Father," each of which is a memoir-in-verse. Lesléa was the primary caretaker for each of her parents in turn at the end of their lives, and writing poetry about this experience helped her process both of these profound losses. A fun fact about Lesléa: she has a green belt in Shuri Ryu Karate! ~ David L. Harrison
As someone who has written hundreds of poems, I am frequently asked, “Where do you get your ideas?”
I wish I knew.
Sometimes I joke and say, “At the idea shop.” If only such a place existed!
Sometimes I say, “From dreams, memories, experiences, newspaper articles, overheard conversations, and imagination.” And that is true.
This is also true: for me, coming up with ideas for new poems is the hardest part of the job. When asked to describe my process, I often quote Gene Fowler: “Writing is easy. All you do is sit staring at a blank piece of paper until three drops of blood form on your forehead.”
Confession time: a blank piece of paper terrifies me. I call it “page fright.” No matter how many poems I’ve written, it all comes down to this: when I finish one poem it is time to start another. To avoid this, I have been known to write long past the ending of a poem, revising it over and over until I am making it worse, not better. Anything to put off staring down a new piece of blank paper!
I tell my students there are three important tools in their poetry toolbox: The first is memory. We are each treasure chests full of countless memories, providing enough poetic fodder to last a lifetime. The second is imagination. Absolutely anything is possible when one is free to go beyond reality and create fantastic poems. The third is observation, using the five senses to describe what is right there in the moment. And that is the tool I use the least.
One day when I was between poems, I asked myself what if I simply “sketched” in words what I observed around me? Artists do this all the time. They set up their easels, look around, and paint. What if I opened my notebook, looked around and wrote?
I stopped staring at my notebook and started staring out the window. I live on a quiet street and the street was even quieter than usual because it had just snowed. But as I watched, a neighborhood cat happened by. And then I heard a crow. And then I saw a squirrel. And a sparrow. And my neighbor checking his mailbox. All this seemed very ordinary. What might happen if worked these observations into a poem?
After The Blizzard, Outside My Window
The still white street a-glitter in the sun
is traversed by a small tuxedo cat,
who tiptoes gently as a solemn nun,
then leaps and rolls, a circus acrobat!
His black fur dusted with a coat of snow,
he sits to give his left hind leg a lick,
till startled by the cawing of a crow,
he looks about him: could this be a trick?
And now the squirrel waves her wind-blown tail,
and now the sparrow sings her morning song,
and now my neighbor comes out for his mail,
and now the black cat stands and moves along.
To think that all of this is mine for free,
the world is so much better than TV.
Using poetic techniques including rhyme, rhythm, metaphor, form (sonnet), and personification, I elevated the ordinary into the extraordinary. And in doing so, I reaffirmed my appreciation of the joys of everyday life.
What is going on around you right now? What do you see? What do you hear? Nothing is too mundane to include in a poem. Try using your observation skills to elevate, celebrate, and appreciate your ordinary/extraordinary life!
“After The Blizzard, Outside My Window” is from Lesléa Newman's book "Lovely" (Headmistress Press) and is used with permission. To find more about her and her work, go online to lesleanewman.com.
