Remembering Robert Frost

I first became aware of Robert Frost when he recited a poem at the John F. Kennedy inauguration in 1961. As I was only eight, I remember it more because my mom made a big deal of it at the time, not because it really stood out on its own. Since that time I'd always assumed he was our National Poet Laureate until now when I did a little fact-checking. He was actually Poet Laureate of the State of Vermont, hence my tendency to associate him with the artist Andrew Wyeth, another famed New Englander in the arts.

Wikipedia begins its account of Robert Frost in this manner:

Robert Lee Frost (March 26, 1874 – January 29, 1963) was an American poet. His work was initially published in England before it was published in the United States. Known for his realistic depictions of rural life and his command of American colloquial speech, Frost frequently wrote about settings from rural life in New England in the early twentieth century, using them to examine complex social and philosophical themes.

The photos on this page were taken by Gary Firstenburg while visiting the Northeast. The yellow trees readily remind one of Frost's The Road Not Taken.

We had five inches of snowfall last night, which also brought to mind Frost's Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening.

The Road Not Taken

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveler, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,

And having perhaps the better claim,

Because it was grassy and wanted wear;

Though as for that the passing there

Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay

In leaves no step had trodden black.

Oh, I kept the first for another day!

Yet knowing how way leads on to way,

I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.

Except the image below: Photos courtesy Gary Firstenberg

www.firstinphoto.smugmug.com

Flashback Friday: The Algebra of Mystery

POETIC DIVERSIONS

The other night I saw that a friend of mine heard Ted Kooser, our nation's 13th Poet Laureate, at a live event. Mike said it was really great. It got me thinking a bit about poetry. For example, I pondered this strange thought: Do accountants receive awards and recognition for being uncreative in the same manner that poets receive awards and recognition for their creative expression? I mean, who wants creative when it comes to balancing checkbooks and ledgers? Anyways, it was just a thought. There is something magical about creativity in others and so we recognize that and honor those who share their gifts with us.

So while flying to Denver yesterday I began writing down lines that would make interesting titles for poems. I have always enjoyed coming up with titles for my paintings anyways, or titling books or creating headlines for ads. Phrases leap into my mind from all manner of sources and are then re-configured. Some are polished, some discarded and others taken whole.

Here then is a poem developed from a list of poem title ideas while on that flight. I liked the first in the list as its title.

The Algebra of Mystery

The geometry of innocence,*
the diversity of time,
small portions of infinity
in disparate designs;
magical redundancy
when captured in lines.

A species of prayer
with incense and rhymes,
fragrance, illuminations
engaging minds.

The mirrors reveal
what darkness conceals
and everyone,
ultimately,
eventually kneels
beneath the algebra of mystery.

And to bring closure to today's thoughts, here is a quote from Mr. Ted Kooser.

"Considering the ways in which so many of us waste our time, what would be wrong with a world in which everybody were writing poems? After all, there’s a significant service to humanity in spending time doing no harm. While you’re writing your poem, there’s one less scoundrel in the world. And I’d like a world, wouldn’t you, in which people actually took time to think about what they were saying? It would be, I’m certain, a more peaceful, more reasonable place. I don’t think there could ever be too many poets. By writing poetry, even those poems that fail and fail miserably, we honor and affirm life. We say ‘We loved the earth but could not stay."

MAY 2011

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The first line of the poem above -- the geometry of innocence -- is excerpted, extracted (pilfered) from Dylan's "Tombstone Blues" which appeared on the album Highway 61 Revisited. The blog post here fills this space because my reflections on Spirit on the Water, another Dylan song, are as yet incomplete in their formation. 

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Poetry sometimes seems superfluous and, for many, inconsequential. C'est la vie. Nonetheless, like many others I occasionally enjoy scribbling lines of verse, participating in readings and attempting to turn people on to the form. Hence this additional Friday Flashback: Poems for People Who Are Not Into Poetry.

Meantime, life goes on... 

The Power of the Poetic: Poet Laureates Local & Global

FRIDAY NIGHT  LIGHT

It came in the mail today and I'm listening now to my newest Dylan CD, The Real Royal Albert Hall 1966 Concert! (Exclamation point in the title.) It has become apparent that with the Nobel Prize announcement everything Mr. Dylan has ever done is being revisited and being amped up in importance. 2016 is the 50th anniversary of a major year in the young poet performer's life. From a marketing point of view, one could not possibly ask for a more powerful endorsement of one's career than the Nobel Prize which was announced in October, to be celebrated next weekend.

The Wall Street Journal today published a front page story about this event with the title Bob Dylan Is Blowin' Everybody Off, But Minnesotans Don't Mind.  I like the way they used the word Blowin' which hearkens back to Mr. Dylan's second album The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan and its opening cut "Blowin' in the Wind."

This alone shows the power of Dylan's music and influence. Can you imagine a Wall Street Journal article in the 1960's that would headline a story with the slang Blowin' or Changin' or anything so anti-establishmentarian?

Dylan has spent a lifetime knocking the masters of war, haranguing the rednecks who pummeled Emmett Tell, denouncing the pathetic murderers of Medgar Evers and Hattie Carroll... and has now been endorsed and recognized as an important voice for our world in our time.

In Our Time was the title of Ernest Hemingway's first published book of short stories, another American winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature. Whatever people think of the man himself (he has his detractors) his influence and impact on the direction of literature is indisputable. For me personally, In Our Time was a life-changing experience. In the same way, as has been previously noted by John Bushey and many others, Dylan had a similar influence and impact on rock and roll, the signature sound of the Sixties.

All this to say, yes, Mr. Dylan is worthy of this recognition and honor. He has been more than a songwriter, more than a performer. His presence has made a difference that will extend far beyond his moment in time.

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In our local community poetry has emerged to become a surprisingly vibrant feature of the Duluth arts scene. That a Nobel Laureate was born here may be a contributing variable in the equation, or maybe there's just something in the water.

This Sunday there will be a ceremony and inaugural reading by the incoming Duluth Poet Laureate Ellie Schoenfeld at the Peace United Church of Christ. I for one have been a longtime fan of Ms. Schoenfeld's pointed and inventive turns of phrase.

Here's a piece from her most recent collection titled The Dark Honey.

Taking It Off

Some years are just
one hair shirt layered onto another,
each one doing its best
to fuse with skin.

Now is the time
I will finally peel them off,
a slow psychological striptease.
I examine each one only briefly
then throw it
onto an enormous fire,
that original bonfire
fueled by grace and forgiveness,
by the bones
of a thousand other troubles.
Its tongues of flame
sing torch songs and the blues, praises
for every dull, flawed, and disastrous thing.
Its flames lick and illuminate wounds,
leave smoke and spark and new mirrors.


Finally the last one comes off.
I stand here
naked and perfect.
Just like you.
Just like everyone.

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Meantime, life goes on all around you. Open your eyes.

Search Begins for 2016-2018 Duluth Poet Laureate

"Sometimes when I consider what tremendous consequences come from little things... I am tempted to think there are no little things." ~ Barton Sutter

Published by Holy Cow Press

The quote above is a favorite of mine. Interestingly enough, it's the first thing that comes to mind when I think of poetry, and the poetry culture that has evolved here in the Northland. It's probably no accident that Duluth became the first city in Minnesota to have an official Poet Laureate. What's happening here in the arts and culture is pretty exciting, probably that would be lost in a major metro like the Twin Cities. Add to this the pristine natural riches we have here with the lakes, hills hiking trails, biking trails and more.

So it is with pride that I note this announcement that applications are now open for the selection of the 2016-2018 Duluth poet laureate.

Here are the details, courtesy Jim Perlman of Holy Cow Press!

Poets who have lived or worked in the Duluth, Minnesota area for five of the past ten years, and who provide the requested application materials according to the guidelines, are eligible. Applicant poets must live in Duluth or within 30 miles of Duluth in Minnesota. The 2016/2018 Duluth poet laureate will be selected by a committee of representatives from Duluth's literary community, related businesses, colleges and universities and those interested in the field of poetry.

The Duluth Poet Laureate project was established in 2005; Barton Sutter was chosen as its first poet laureate in 2006; Jim Johnson was selected as Duluth's second poet laureate in 2008, Sheila Packa in 2010 and Deborah Cooper in 2012. Jim Johnson returned for a second term as 2014-16 Duluth Poet Laureate.

Since the establishment of this award, several Minnesota cities have selected poet laureates, including Saint Paul, Red Wing , Rochester, and Winona. Robert Bly was appointed Minnesota's first state poet laureate in February, 2008; Joyce Sutphen was appointed in Fall, 2011 as Minnesota's second state poet laureate in recent times.

The 2016-2018 Duluth Poet Laureate will be awarded a $3,000 honorarium for a two-year term. Funding for the poet laureate project is provided by area organizations who are represented on the poet laureate selection committee.

Applications guidelines and more information about the 2016-18 Duluth poet laureate project are available by writing to: Duluth Poet Laureate Program, 711 Woodland Avenue, Duluth, Minnesota 55812, or by e-mail: holycow@holycowpress.org. Copies are also available at the main branch of the Duluth Public Library, information desk, 520 West Superior Street, Duluth.

The application deadline for the 2016/18 Duluth Poet Laureate program is September 2, 2016. A crowning ceremony and reception for the new Duluth poet laureate will take place in October, 2016.

I know who I would vote for. Then again, there is so much talent in this community.

I know I'm biased, but here's what I have to say: Duluth, you Rock. 

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For a good read, visit my blog post titled Whitman, Dylan and Me: Uncanny Connections.