In the spirit of National Poetry Month, I’d like to ask you if you’ve heard the one about the artichoke? It was written by Joe Hutchison, who was Colorado’s Poet Laureate from 2014 to 2019. It goes like this:
Artichoke - “O heart weighed down by so many wings.”
I'm not quite sure why this tickles me so. Maybe because it reminds me that poetry is for everyone. Poems don’t have to be lofty and academic to make an impact.
With that in mind, and to celebrate this month of poetry, I reached out to several friends and invited them to contribute their personal work to this month’s post. My request included two caveats—(1) each poem should be short and (2) each should be accompanied by a picture or drawing created by the poet or one of their loved ones.
What fun I had with this! Dare I say, some of my friends don’t follow directions too well? And—surprise, surprise!—most of my family ignored my request completely. Oh, well. Or, to sum it up in the more poetic words of A.A. Milne’s Winnie the Pooh: “Oh, bother.”
For now, please enjoy a few haikus (written in a three-line, 5-7-5 syllable pattern) others have shared with me, along with their personal photos and, in some cases, comments.
The haiku above, Childhood, comes from a long-time friend who is passionate about poetry. K.B. (aka Kathy) obtained her Ph.D. from the writing program at Georgia State University. She has taught poetry, published her own works, and produces an ongoing weekly radio program called Melodically Challenged. Yes, it’s poetry-centric, but it also features some fun indie music that ties to each episode's theme. Check out her website at www.melodicallychallenged.org. Or find her on FaceBook under the same name.
One Dose or Two Dose, above, is by Gurleen Roberts, the most creative DrPH I know. She is passionate about public health—can you tell? But she’s also a wonderful friend, a quality-improvement guru, an excellent writer, a lover of adventure, and a gifted professional photographer. You can find her work @gurleen_photos on Instagram.
Deborah Potts Fronzak provided Brother and Lilies for this project. A beloved, but now retired, preschool teacher, she continues to teach piano. When not busy with her music, or volunteering her time and treasures as a political activist, Debbie also enjoys birding, baking, photography, family...the list goes on. She’s a true Renaissance woman if ever there was one.
The poem and photo above should be called Great, don’t you think? It comes from Vicky Carter, who sent it with this note: “I have a stubbornly literal way of thinking, and poetry doesn’t come easily.” Good thing she’s always game to try new things because this is, well, great. A retired educator, Vicky now works with the elderly. She enjoys Yoga, watercolor painting, and her grandchildren (whom I love, too).
Bob J., who wrote Perfect, is a retired Dow Corning executive who now works as Managing Principal at Summit Growth Solutions, LLC. When I reached out to him about this project, he laughed, confessing he hasn’t written a poem since third grade. Never one to duck a challenge—he skydives with his daughter, still skis the moguls, and dabbles with oils—Bob delivered.
JE Mundy II is a tech professional with a big heart and a knack for writing. He enjoys the outdoors, Crimson Tide football, Dolly Parton...let’s just say, Joe loves life. At the top of his list of favorites comes family, as evidenced in his poem and photo, Generations. Check out some of Joe’s past essays—and a couple delicious-looking recipes—at www.yardtherapy.blogspot.com.
The poem above (written by Kerry Coulter with an accompanying photo by Vickie Ransbottom) marks the place where the rules get bent on this post. I reached out to Vickie, who often shares some incredible photos on FaceBook. When I invited her to participate in this project, the poetry part made her balk. She did, however, reach out to her friend Kerry, who agreed to share his poem Rise and Shine to go with one of Vickie’s pics. Thank you both!
After more messaging with Vickie, I learned she has over 7,000 (!) pictures she has created and posted on Flickr. She sent me the link, and since we’d already bent the rules, I asked if I could write a poem for the photo above. That’s how Innocence evolved. To see more of Vickie’s pics, go to Flickr.com - VickieRans. Or contact her at (404) 556-9593 to learn more about her work.
As long as we’re bending the rules, above is part of a gorgeous poem from Kay Ryle. She posted a longer version on FaceBook and was gracious to allow me to publish this partial. Chartreuse is a treat to the senses, and I do mean all of them. The full poem touches on so many things Kay is all about – beauty, nature, the garden, faith. Thank you, Kay, for agreeing to share. This is lovely.
And now may I tell you the story behind Agnes’s poem, Procrastination? She wrote it to honor her friend Glen, whom she drove to chemo treatments for months, and who anticipated visiting Agnes’s garden this summer. Glen died on February 20, 2021. At her service, her nephew said she always claimed, “Cardinals appear when angels are near.” The next day as Agnes journaled, she looked out the window and saw a beautiful cardinal. “It was as if Glen was telling me not to fret for not calling her more and that now she’s free to see my garden whenever she’d like.” Thanks for sharing such a special tribute, Agnes.
Anticipation (above) is a work by KDM, a dear friend with a knack for home and garden design, celebrating family, and spoiling her friends with kindness, great meals, and special gatherings. KDM’s poem (like Agnes’s) is a Tanka, a longer version of haiku written in a five-line, 5-7-5-7-7 syllable pattern. The poem needs no explanation, but don’t let her fool you: KDM has a killer green thumb.
Another friend who sometimes goes by KareBare also shared a Tanka. Again, this one (above) is self-explanatory, although I should add that I failed to credit KareBare with providing the picture as well as the poem. It’s a stunner. Makes me miss the beach, too. So here’s to you, Sister-Who’s-More-Like-a-Friend: I hope you get to visit your happy place soon.
So far most of the poems shared here have been fairly light and happy. But poetry runs the gamut, from Shakespeare and Dickinson to Dr. Seuss and Dylan (Dylan Thomas, sure...but Bob Dylan too). Some poems are written for a more literary palette, while others, like Artichoke, are intentionally short and fun, easier to digest. Still others, like The Hill We Climb, written and recited by Amanda Gorman at the 2021 Presidential Inauguration, make us think about important societal issues like race and oppression, feminism and marginalization. In other words, poetry isn't always breezy and filled with good cheer.
The poem above, Empathy, takes a dive into the shadows, but often Tankas do. I wrote it after my friend Lynnette sent two pictures she treasures. “I can send you photos that are meaningful to me,” she said, “but I'm lousy at poetry.” I didn’t push her to write, even though she’s a very fine writer. Instead, I let Lynnette’s photos speak to me, reminding me that time passes, love is endless, and tomorrow isn’t promised. With her permission, I crafted a poem to go with her photos. It pulls from her personal family story, which she shared in my post of June 2020. Love you, Lynnette. Thanks for your grace and openness to sharing and your patience with my questions.
Short haikus, too, can sometimes be dark. That doesn’t make them any less beautiful. For the poem Death, K.B. Kincer once again shares raw emotion through her words, this time in memory of her son, Robert Vincent Morea III. Kathy took the picture of Birmingham skies that accompanies the poem on the anniversary of his death. Born with Cystic Fibrosis, Bobby lived a full and active life. (I still remember how he relished being part of marching band during his high school years.) He received a double-lung transplant in the early 2000s. Enjoying good health, he founded Melodically Challenged in May 2006 while attending Georgia State University. He contracted an infection shortly after he began the show and passed away on June 20, 2006.
I hope you’ve enjoyed the poems shared throughout this post. Now that you’ve refreshed yourself on haiku, why not write one yourself to commemorate International Haiku Writing Day, which falls on April 17. Need some help? The picture above was taken by Vickie Ransbottom. She sent it to me along with this note: “The horse’s name is Winterhawk. To me, this is the one that needs a poem!”
Up for the challenge? Why not take a stab and send me your best? It's not about pulling together a masterpiece. It's about doing something creative, shaking things up to the point you feel just slightly more alive.
To close on a light note, I wanted to share one more variation on the haiku. It’s called a lune, and, as illustrated above, it has a three-line, 5-3-5 rhyming pattern. Sorry, all, this form is new to me, and I couldn’t resist. It's not like I ever promised you I could write good poetry. But hot damn, I’ve had me some fun with this post. I'm grateful to (and impressed by) the generous souls who contributed. And to think it all started with one tickling Artichoke.
Don't forget, write a haiku for Saturday. Pass it along if you're inclined. I'd love to see it.
Until next time...cheers ~ J
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