September Column

First published in The Evening Sun on September 26, 2010:

Since I began writing this column, many people have expressed their desire to respond to my poetry challenges. However, when it was time to send their work out into the world, most lacked the courage to press the send button.

I want to acknowledge the normalcy of this apprehension for all writers. Out of all the types of courage we can show, I believe creative courage is sometimes the hardest. By creative courage, I mean the strength it takes to, first, put a piece of yourself onto the page, and secondly, to make yourself vulnerable to others’ judgments.

Yet, this view of vulnerability is limited. The other possible reception of a poem, one of praise and acceptance, occurs more often. I have found poets to be the most accepting and encouraging community I have ever been a part of. With this more optimistic reception in mind, I ask everyone reading this to have the courage to write a poem, and secondly, to send that poem to me.

Though this week’s feature poet has never been published, after reading her work, I knew her words needed to reach a larger audience. I am happy she had the courage to write and to share her work with me because now I can share it with all of you.

Earlier this month, Sarah Louise Foster sent me a poem titled “Marriage.” In an interview, she revealed to me, “I live on the banks of the beautiful Conewago Creek along a dirt road, with musician husband and two little girls who are full of creative motion— my life is surrounded by poetry.” While reading her poem, you will be able to picture the world she lives in, “where you know the neighbors and stop your car to talk to them, and the only night noises are the barred owls hooting and raccoons chattering.” She develops a metaphor for marriage in this poem, which she filters through her sensibility and surroundings.


Marriage



Marriage is a journey,

This is what they told us.

Those harsh critics of the thing,

Picking their teeth and laughing.



Well – if marriage is a journey Baby

Here’s to yours and mine.



Our journey has been beautiful

Full of twists and turns.



Like an old dirt path,

Constant and steady.



There are patches full of rocks,

Some puddles and hills along the way,

Forests where the sun gets blotted out.



But there’s always a flower,

Around the next bend.

Your eyes are a blue Speedwell,

Constant and pure.



Your arms around me –

The towering hemlock

Strong and forever.



There is always a view,

At the top of our hills.

Marriage is a journey

We were meant to take together,

A barefoot, hand in hand,

Walk along a path.


Foster certainly has a talent for working with metaphor, as she compares marriage to “A barefoot, hand in hand, / Walk along a path.” The walk has moments of darkness, “But there’s always a flower / Around the next bend.” Her poem, mirroring nature itself, gestures toward the realities of marriage, while also emphasizing the graceful moments along the way.

When I asked Foster about her inspiration for this poem, she described how she often expressed her love through nature: “The poem talks about Speedwell which is a tiny blue wildflower I have always loved. When Tim and I were engaged, I was living almost two hours to the West in the mountains of Pennsylvania. After he would make the drive to see me, I picked this little flower and sent it with him as a token of my prayers for his safety on the drive home.” I found this flower a lovely addition to her poem.

Often times, writing poems intimidates people because they think a poem must include a grand gesture toward some epiphany. However, the best poems are often rooted in the little moments unique to each of our lives. Each of us has a perspective to share, informed by a unique set of experiences.

When I asked Foster about what inspires her to write, she responded, “I draw my inspiration from the small things I love in this life. From sitting outside on a sunny, breezy day and watching the patterns the leaves make against the sky, from staring unblinking into the falling snow, from the sound of my daughter’s voices, from the music of my husband’s piano, from the family I grew up with who has loved me unconditionally. It’s those brief moments when emotion unhindered, of any kind, shines from someone’s face that keep me writing.”

With this in mind, I hope you all enjoy a creative day, full of the courage to write and the courage to send your words out into the world. Please feel free to send me your poems at bradyke@gmail.com.