National Poetry Month: Issue 3

April is National Poetry Month. I'm featuring local Southeastern Wisconsin poets on my blog in an attempt to give them exposure and just because it's kind of fun. I remember my first real exposure to poetry from a critiquing or analytical perspective as clear as if it was yesterday. I was in 8th grade literature class and we were all asked to pick a poem and give a critique of it.

On that day, one friend chose Elton John's song, Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding which we played on the monoaural phonograph and was then critiqued. It was as edgy as we got in a Catholic grade school in the 70's; as close to Room 222 or the Dead Poet's Society as you can get, I think.

I forget the poem I chose, some willowy poem about ocean waves and a cave cut into the rocks or some such thing. I do remember reading it and thinking "What the heck?". It was only after re-reading it a second, third and fourth time that I really started to understand the deeper meanings. When I presented that scenario to the class, the instructor, Mr. Gallett, the ultimate literary geek, came up to me after class and said "I really enjoyed your presentation, Jim. You obviously put some thought into it. Thank you."

It was that affirmation of something I had doubted was worth anything - my hack-analysis of a cryptic poem - that set the foundation for my interest in poetry for the rest of my life. So, you teachers and parents out there, don't ever discount the value of encouraging words for kids' artistic talents, loves and pursuits.

Today's poem comes from another of those encouraging people in my life. Kathie Giorgio is perhaps the most influential source of my writing success of the past few years. She's what I like to call a critical encourager. When I started in her class, the last thing I ever though was that I would fall into writing poetry, and, well, here I am. She writes a little poetry herself and has provided me some for this blog roll. I'll be posting a few of them over the course of the month.

Here's one for starters as well as more information about her other writing successes.

APRIL FOOL IN FLORIDA                                      by Kathie Giorgio

In front of me

through the window,

a dark-skinned woman

body flowing in a burnt

orange dress   exposed

back   exposed arms

kinked and coiled hair held

back with a yellow silk

scarf

works under the raised hood

of her white service van.

White towels sharp against

her skin, soon streaked black

with oil.


Author Biography

KATHIE GIORGIO’S third book, the  novel, “Learning To Tell (A Life)Tiime,” was released in September of 2013 by the Main Street Rag Publishing Company. This is the sequel to her first novel, “The Home For Wayward Clocks,” released in 2011.  That novel received the Outstanding Achievement award by the Wisconsin Library Association and was nominated for the Paterson Fiction Award.  Her short story collection, "Enlarged Hearts," was released in April 2012. Her stories and poems have appeared in over a hundred literary magazines and in many anthologies. She’s the director and founder of AllWriters’ Workplace & Workshop, an international creative writing studio. 

 

Author site: www.kathiegiorgio.org
Studio site: www.allwritersworkshop.com
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