HEADLINE, DEADLINE, END-OF-LINE
by April Halprin Wayland
X
There are no ants
who climb these lines
to hoist up every front-page word—
absurd.
X
No crow flies low
to drop in twos
the sentences
which caw the news.
X
Occasionally a friend will send
a music essay which informs
(though silence
seems to be the norm).
X
It takes a miner and his lamp
to dig the depths
with writer’s cramp
then throw a light on what to write.
X
He finds the veins of news and gold
so cyber pages we may hold.
For all these years he’s lit the fuse
three cheers for Rick’s rich folk club news!
X
(c) 2011 April Halprin Wayland, all rights reserved
X
The story behind the poem:
x
Our folk club’s newsletter is called The Cat ‘n Banjo. Rick has edited it for the last seven or eight or ten years. A long time. Now he’s stepping down. How does one thank a volunteer who has worked for so many hours to connect us to our music and fellow folkies? In a poem, of course!
x
I thought about how to “come at” the poem. I imaged a blank, lined piece of paper, then ants, marching onto the page carrying words and placing them on the page. Who knows where these weird images come from? But these days I don’t question them. I go with them.
x
Now it’s your turn! Is there someone in your life you need to/want to thank? Can you stand on your head, coming at the topic from a different angle? Give it a try. Enjoy.
xxxxxxxxxxxxx
xxxxxxxxxxxxx
x