2012 Poetry Month

Thank You Poem


HEADLINE, DEADLINE, END-OF-LINE
by April Halprin Wayland
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There are no ants
who climb these lines
to hoist up every front-page word—
absurd.
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No crow flies low
to drop in twos
the sentences
which caw the news.
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Occasionally a friend will send
a music essay which informs
(though silence
seems to be the norm).
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It takes a miner and his lamp
to dig the depths
with writer’s cramp
then throw a light on what to write.
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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!
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(c) 2011 April Halprin Wayland, all rights reserved
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The story behind the poem:
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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!
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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.
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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.
Poetry Month 2011! drawing (c) by April Halprin Waylandxxxxxxxxxxxxx(c) 2011 April Halprin Wayland, all rights reserved
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