In April I pledged to write a poem every day to raise money for Tupelo Press. I met my fundraising goal (although as I’m re-reading the post, I hadn’t YET met the fundraising goal–but I did) and more importantly, wrote my way through the month preceding my father’s death from Alzheimer’s.
One of the things I did to “get the word out” was have Poetry Pop-Ups at various local businesses. Very grateful to them! NOTE: image says “this week” but that was way back in April….
Here’s the first poem, for Arcadia Books in Spring Green:
AN ODE TO ARCADIA BOOKS
As if drawn close by a copy of Silent Spring,
three eagles are circling on a thermal above the shop,
the white on them flashing when their circuit brings
them into the sun. That particular magic’s stopped,
but inside, on newly reconstructed floors,
the hefty spells of ten thousand books
just carry on. Maybe some new recipes to cook,
a caramel latte, that novel you’ve been looking for,
they’re all here. The Driftless Stargazing guy stopped by
to say hello—I’m so happy for him that reading
is disconnected from teaching now, that pleasure’s why
he’s here. That pleasure brought all this into being,
the creak of a wooden floor, the smell of caffeine
and new paper, a zillion words just waiting to be seen.
I think odes are really important–they’re celebratory, and in a challenging time, it’s more important than ever to find things to celebrate, to be grateful for. I’ve been practicing making bracelets (still working on those knots!) and wanted to make one with a message to myself. I chose Warren Zevon’s quote from Letterman, when Dave said “now do you know something about life and death that I don’t know” and Zevon answered, “I know how much you’re supposed to enjoy every sandwich.” So I’m using odes to celebrate all kinds of things and yes, I want to enjoy every sandwich.
marniere 