I haven't had anything published yet this year, so I was thrilled when Dust Poetry recently accepted my short poem "Red Roads." It appears in the latest issue and can be read HERE.
I suppose poetry shouldn't need additional commentary (especially commentary that's longer than the poem itself!), but I thought I'd explain the impetus for this piece.
Last summer I went to PEI with Errol. The first evening we were there, I walked from my aunt Sigga's house (where Errol was staying), back to Lincoln's apartment (where I was staying). Sigga pointed out a shortcut -- a small dirt road at the end of her street that would take me back to the main road. I think it's actually someone's private lane, though I didn't know that at the time!
As I walked along this narrow lane, seeing the trees bending overhead and the Queen Anne's lace growing along the side, I felt like I was home again. It wasn't the same as our "little road" in New Argyle but under the circumstances, it was a good substitute.
So this was what led me to write "Red Roads."
So beautiful Jeannie! Geography defines us in so many ways. Sometimes I need to recall those roads I've travelled in the past, "taking me away", when the world so often tells me to live in the present and keep moving forward.
ReplyDeleteYes, Ilka, I know just what you mean.
DeleteA lovely poem Jeannie! The best word I can use for it is "organic" (no pun intended) - even though I could see that each of the words has been crafted with care, I experienced it as an entity, as a complete feeling deep inside. It moved me in a way that I can't put into words, which is what the best poems do. So well done! Maureen
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for that, Maureen! I'm glad you were moved by it.
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