I spent the past weekend at Bjorklunden in Bailey’s Harbor. What a delightful time. It was a poetry workshop with Bruce Dethlefsen (former Poet Laureate for Wisconsin) as the facilitator. Great bunch of people–21, I think; many familiar faces. Bruce talked and gave us handouts on revision and with his wonderful sense of whimsey, it was an all together wonderful and ambitious time for me with my gimpy leg. Estella Lauter, who coordinated it, had a wheel chair for my use and Alice was my “pusher,” although, there were plenty of helping hands along the way. Lucky me, Estella had my bed made for me and I didn’t have to sign up for chores. I did walk a little more than I should have and was tired and sore on Sunday, but it was worth it.
The open mike on Saturday night showcased many types of poems-June read her poem about
the children of Sandy Hook, which brought most of us to tears–very powerful. We met in front of the blazing fire in the Great Room (I almost typed womb–what a Fruedian slip tha
t
wou
ld have been.
I met with Bruce one-on-one about the poem now titled “Naming” (below). He recognized right away that it should be two different poems
and offered very detailed help with it.
The snow fell on Saturday like sifting sugar but didn’t last. We enjoyed a relatively warm walk to the car on Sunday but when we stopped for gas in Beaver Dam, it was co-o-old!
All in all, it was a great weekend.
Poem: NAMING
Among the oaks today,
we will listen for your soul name.
I kiss you and we sit for a while
on a dead-fall tree and wait.
The woods whisper
Woman of Misty Mornings.
on a silky breeze. At that moment
she smiles up at me as though she knows,
as though she is satisfied with this name.
Like saplings in the forest,
It will give her something to grow on.
I will give her a drum of bear skin for her first birthday.
(Damn, sorry about these line breaks)
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