Dear readers:
This quarter's collection is titled "On the Water's Edge".
I think of the water's edge as a boundary between the secure environment of land and the allure of the unknown that hides beneath the water's surface. Things that appear tranquil and transparent one instant can become opaque and murky the next. Water harbors the element of the unfamiliar that has attracted humanity to it since its infancy. We are drawn to the water's edge, but must summon the courage to venture into its new, unknown environment.
"On the Water's edge" depicts a threshold in a person's life, a rite of passage, a coming to terms with their own fears, weaknesses and faults. Unlike "Rivers and Tides", which thrived on visual elements, "Water's edge" is mostly symbols. You will find images of water in virtually every poem, and if you read carefully, you'll find key thoughts that tie many poems together. The characters in my poems face issues such as aging, the perception of having been better and stronger at some time in the past, a fear of loss, and a wariness of life's promises . Some of you may fault me for choosing such a dark subject matter, but as always, I try to show the strength of the human spirit when confronted. It is, after all, through our conflicts and struggles that we grow stronger.
Best Wishes,
a lifeguard laments the winter - lamenting what you
think were your better days.
water's edge - confronting the symbolic waters of one's own fears and weaknesses from the still safe vantage point of the shore.
An old man paints the ocean - being imparted a gift by the previous generation.
Haunting - an obsession.
Realization - One of my personal favorites, it's about the fear of getting to know someone. Its water symbolism started the idea for "On the Water's Edge".
remembering carol - a survivor's point of view.
ledges - If you saw the movie "All that Jazz" (1979) you may remember Roy Scheider's character metaphorically flirting with death, which loosely served as the idea for this. I have to admit becoming slightly infatuated with my main character, Carol (from the previous poem), because I couldn't help admiring her courage, astuteness and sense of humor in spite of the situation she places herself in.
[This business of poetry writing: It
really begins to disgust me, Lord Byron] - some poetic
"lamenting."
