June 23, 2017
Why has poetry always been so important to me,
Yet neglected for forty-plus years?
Poetry reaches beyond words, yet I have been linked to words,
Writing, writing, writing something,
But seldom what is in my heart, in my soul.
Chesley Duncan, Ches, where are you? You made me promise not to stop.
I want to let you know that I have not stopped, just paused.
I am back.
My feelings are back.
My centering is back.
My soul is back,
Finding words, which you called, you cherished, you committed me to,
As poetry.
Chesley Duncan was a camp counselor for my unit at Girl Scout camp when I was about 14. I was quite devoted at the time to writing poetry and shared something I wrote with her. She made me promise never to stop.
Ches went on to medical school in Philadelphia. I went on to lots of prose, until recently. It is wonderful that my granddaughters are developing their talents and that we are now sharing three generations of “poetry tea time.”
Unfortunately, all my poems from my teenage years have been lost.
Finding My Place 