Sherry: Grace, so nice to be chatting with you again.
Grace: Thanks for the feature. As you know, writing poetry is a fun hobby for me. I get my inspirations from my everyday life, like my weekday train rides, watching documentaries, (mostly nature), and reading the poetry of other poets.
Sherry: I still remember the woman in the yellow coat that brightened one of your winter morning train rides. Smiles. Grace, do you have any plans for your writing in the months ahead. Is there anything you'd like to tell us about?
Grace: I don't have plans of publishing my work, as it's only a hobby for me.
I am busy with work at Downtown Toronto City, and keep myself professionally updated by studying and taking exams every year.
The big family event that happened was when my eldest son got married last year, May 31, 2015. It was a memorable family reunion, as our families came from different parts of the world.
My daughter- in-law is wearing the red dress
Sherry: Oh congratulations! That must have been a wonderful event, a wedding and a family reunion.
Grace: As to writing, I wish I can write more, but I now refrain from linking up during weekends as I would like to be more active and doing some other stuff (like hiking and visiting parks), specially during the warm seasons. I am envious of poets who pour out their deep emotions and thoughts on the page and blogs about it. I don't think I have reached that point yet as I keep myself in check. You asked me before about my best work, and I believe, then and now, that my "best" is still coming.
Sherry: Wow, you already write brilliantly. I await future work with anticipation. Smiles.
Sherry: Wow, you already write brilliantly. I await future work with anticipation. Smiles.
Grace: What I enjoy most about writing poetry is the community of poets - they are warm and thoughtful writers. And even though we have not met each other face to face, you get a glimpse of their hearts and lives though their words.
I now feel more comfortable sharing pictures of myself and my family.
During our autumn walk. I'm in the middle.
Sherry: Thanks so much, Grace. It is lovely to see you and your family! Yes, over the years, reading each other's deepest thoughts, we do get to know each other very well.
Grace, recently, I was blown away by your poem "A Dance In the Sky". I loved it so much, I really wanted to hear about it in more depth. Let's dive in.
Grace, recently, I was blown away by your poem "A Dance In the Sky". I loved it so much, I really wanted to hear about it in more depth. Let's dive in.
your umber words
undo
my laced-up ribbons
kindles fire
effervescent as wine
i snow melt
furrows to crown
& between fingertips
i grow fresh skin
throw wild air-kisses
to red-
crested cardinals
there's no time
swooning over you
because
you've already flown,
dancing with starlings
Dancing with starlings
Sherry: Your imagery in this piece is so gorgeous, Grace. Tell us the story of this poem, won't you?
Grace: I was watching the video of the murmuration of the starlings, and I was awed by their beauty and flight. The winter season is long in my part of the world, so I was looking forward to the return of the birds and advent of spring. I also wrote this as a word challenge - in 44 words only.
Sherry: You described it to perfection in those few words, Grace. Another poem with birds in it really spoke to me: your "Lost Brotherhood". Let's take a look.
Migrating Siberian cranes over the Himalayas
sky is an open road
above ice-capped mountains
wild is the call of wind
that rushes in our lungs
as we cross continents & rivers
to where the sun greens
every blade of grass, browns earth-
worms, yellows fish in marshlands
we fear not the crossing
the flock is brotherhood
marking the journey old as sea
our wingspan fight
against eagles and vultures
yet we fear not
as we smell rain clouds
above the marsh & bogs
as we travel
on and on
don't lead us astray
with your hunting games
for our prized plumes
for our tender meat
leave us
in our untamed earth
dense, unsettled as clouds
with the wind as our choir
we move as kindred souls
in silent geometry
Let this be not our
last
j o u r
n
e
y
Sherry: I pray it isn't their last journey too. I love "leave us...unsettled as clouds / with the wind as our choir..." Beautifully done, Grace.
Grace: Sadly, these long-lived cranes are on the list of endangered species, as its population has greatly diminished in the last three decades.
"Lost Brotherhood" was a prompt for eco-poetry which I hosted for D'verse. I wanted to write about the plight of Siberian cranes when they are migrating between seasons. I used the words to create a wing-like formation when they are flying, and the eventual fall from the skies. I think it's fun to play with the format of the words on the page.
Sherry: You succeeded. very well, Grace. The way the closing word fades and drifts off the page really underscores the plight of the cranes.
Your poem "Traveler's Heart" spoke directly to me, as I have written many poems about traveling. Your imagery is, as always, glorious in this poem. And I love the changing formats of your poems, which look so wonderful on the page.
Traveler's heart
Give me
autumn's billowing wind
Ruffling falling leaves to wet canvas
I am blue butterfly trifling the wheat fields
Up north, I travel to gaze snow-capped mountains
Down south, I gather shells & listen to sun-lit chimes
I flicker back and forth between cities and seasons
To the east, I drink green tea & feast on pink lotus
To the west, I sip ripe wine & study cathedrals
My luggage is not yet filled of souvenirs
With colorful shirts and silver spoons
Like clouds, I will not rest, not yet
For I have a traveler's
w
a
n
d
e
r
l
u
s
t
Sherry: I have it too, though now I do my traveling through words and the imagination. Which is why your words lift me up and carry me off so wonderfully.
Grace: I am also inspired by the photography of other artists. I must admit I find it hard to write without pictures or having a mental picture in my head. Along with the title, I wanted to create a shaped or visual poem, to complement my words. To do this, I first write the words in a normal way, then I play with the format on the page.
My most challenging shaped or visual poem was "When It's the Real Thing". After that exercise, I felt bolder to experiment with the words!
When it's the real thing
I'd like to buy
the world a poem
for all 365 days, I
will not keep it
company but will
let it tumble, rip,
crash, hobble, run,
crash, hobble, run,
slam, burst as autumn
red leaves drifting by
the river canal, falling
over bridges & archways
until the verses settle down:
a torchlight, bell, majestic river.
I'd like to give the world a view:
happiness, not bought & sugared,
nor snowed white as turtle doves
but simple yellow morning bloom.
Then I'd teach the world to sing
in perfect harmony with trees,
with each fading leaf color and
passing clouds. Because there's a
poem to be found even in empty
road, lonely mountain, rainy days,
rusted can, or walking hand in hand.
Life tastes good when you keep it real.
Sherry: It looks beautiful on the page, and I love its message. So positive!
Thank you so much for starting our week off so beautifully, Grace. And for your loyalty to Poets United. We appreciate you, and look forward to enjoying much more of your work in the years to come.
I hope you enjoyed these lovely poems as much as we did, my poet friends. Do come back and see who we talk to next. Who knows? It might be you!
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