I made a surprise visit to my senior friend JAM recently.
I met him maybe 6 years ago when I was friend with a friend of his, a woman poet. The elderly woman used to take walks around my neighborhood and when I engaged her, she recited short lovely poems to me, poems she was proud of and wanted to publish. Our first conversations were about putting together a chap book (usually a small book published by the person or an editor meant for small distribution, like at poetry readings at coffee houses or art galleries, often free or for the cost of printing.) She wanted her only grandson to have her intellectual property rights.
I have a soft spot for seniors who are alone in life, without living or local family to look in on them.
The woman poet only had her grandson and Jam, who with his wife, had been this couple's best friends. The woman poet died several months after I began visiting and phoning her frequently. She was dying of cancer and had not yet been told the truth, though she suspected. I was with her the night before she died, and met her grandson only then.
JAM was also depressed not only because he was surrounded in a senior living place with people who were dealing with illness or dying, because of the death of his wife, who he had known and been married to over 60 years! Now in his 90's JAM is my "oldest" friend, but because he does have family to look in on him (people I will probably never meet) I don't visit with him as often.
JAM's way out of his depression was WRITING. He joined several senior - oriented writing clubs and classes and recorded mostly memoirs some of his short stories or chapters published.
This visit he surprised me by pulling out his Barnes and Noble NOOK! JAM bragged that he might be ready to go but he always kept up with technology and with this NOOK he was able to access Los Angeles Public Library and download books. He had read near 40 in the last several months on the NOOK. He surprised me by telling me he didn't like non-fiction especially not history, and naming his favorite writers of suspense, mystery, and murder. Since he is slowing down physically, this has saved him the hardship of walking with a cane to take public transportation to the library.
UPDATE OCTOBER 2016 ...JAM DIED THIS PAST SPRING...
Showing posts with label women in poetry. Show all posts
Showing posts with label women in poetry. Show all posts
4/24/13
READING POETS ADRIENNE RICH and MARY OLIVER : DO YOU ONLY READ POETRY BECAUSE OF NATIONAL POETRY MONTH?
At the library I noticed a prominent display of poetry books for NATIONAL POETRY MONTH.
You would think there were a gazillion months instead of just twelve on the calender since we seem to have so very many months dedicated to subject matter.
Even though I think there should be more holidays that require people to stay home from work and/or have three day weekends - which would decrease traffic, increase tourism, and prevent more burnout and heart attacks from crummy jobs, Monday morning being the big "I can't take another day of that ass at work so I'll have a heart attack day", I still feel kind of negative about the Hallmarkisation of the yearly calender.
To the point, do we need months dedicated to Poetry, or African American History, or whatever? Is this all between Dollar Tree Stores (and the like) and school teachers who use their salaries to supplement student's art supplies and decorations for bulletin boards in the classroom? You know, suddenly Saint Patricks Day, which is for the Irish, which I'm not, is the cause for buying green crap from China.
Are the same people who brought you Mother's Day and Secretary Day and Doggie Day behind everything for girls being PINK and everthing for boys being BLUE? Good thing I don't have a child, because I would have to choose YELLOW or GREEN.
DO YOU ONLY READ POETRY BECAUSE IT'S NATIONAL POETRY MONTH?
If so, then I feel sorry for you.
POETRY SHOULD BE READ when you are in a MOOD. In particular it is very good for indulging the emotions. If you don't get torn up or twisted around by an ah ha moment reading poetry, maybe you never will.
I've picked up copies of MARY OLIVER'S A THOUSAND MORNINGS and LATER POEMS (1971-2012) by ADRIENNE RICH since these are poets I read in college. Hmm... a favorite poem?
C 2013 All Rights Reserved Christine Trzyna / Christine Trzyna Writerly Life
You would think there were a gazillion months instead of just twelve on the calender since we seem to have so very many months dedicated to subject matter.
Even though I think there should be more holidays that require people to stay home from work and/or have three day weekends - which would decrease traffic, increase tourism, and prevent more burnout and heart attacks from crummy jobs, Monday morning being the big "I can't take another day of that ass at work so I'll have a heart attack day", I still feel kind of negative about the Hallmarkisation of the yearly calender.
To the point, do we need months dedicated to Poetry, or African American History, or whatever? Is this all between Dollar Tree Stores (and the like) and school teachers who use their salaries to supplement student's art supplies and decorations for bulletin boards in the classroom? You know, suddenly Saint Patricks Day, which is for the Irish, which I'm not, is the cause for buying green crap from China.
Are the same people who brought you Mother's Day and Secretary Day and Doggie Day behind everything for girls being PINK and everthing for boys being BLUE? Good thing I don't have a child, because I would have to choose YELLOW or GREEN.
DO YOU ONLY READ POETRY BECAUSE IT'S NATIONAL POETRY MONTH?
If so, then I feel sorry for you.
POETRY SHOULD BE READ when you are in a MOOD. In particular it is very good for indulging the emotions. If you don't get torn up or twisted around by an ah ha moment reading poetry, maybe you never will.
I've picked up copies of MARY OLIVER'S A THOUSAND MORNINGS and LATER POEMS (1971-2012) by ADRIENNE RICH since these are poets I read in college. Hmm... a favorite poem?
C 2013 All Rights Reserved Christine Trzyna / Christine Trzyna Writerly Life
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)