Poemgift
Poemgift? Now that’s a word,
I don’t believe I’ve ever heard.
A poem? “Yes.” A gift? “Yes”, too;
But tied together, one word from two?
I don’t know if I’ve stolen this,
Or made a word that others missed.
Write a poem about your gift:
Your giftee will receive twice the lift!
© Forrest W. Heaton December 2018
In my 2013 book, The Sixty-Minute Poet, available as an e-book on Amazon, toward the end of the book I advised each reader: “Somewhere, deep inside you, lives your Poet Spirit. She or he only needs your prodding to awaken and then move from her/his bed deep within your unconscious to a chair just outside the door to your consciousness. The more you practice (writing your own poems), the more your Poet Spirit moves to a more ready posture, knocking more frequently on your consciousness door.”
A bit further in that section, I encouraged readers to consider sharing their poems with others: “One of the most enjoyable aspects of writing poetry is the uniqueness others ascribe to your correspondence when they realize you spent some time thinking about them—perhaps regarding an event such as a birthday or anniversary, perhaps thanking them for something they have done for you.”
The section concluded with the understanding that your poem can be a stand-alone gift in itself or it can be written about and combined with another item—perhaps an event, an item you’ve made or purchased, art, etc.: “As you practice and get better, you will begin to see the obvious enhancement writing poetry offers when it is combined with another form of art. This mixing is limitless in its application. . . .”
As good fortune would have it, Mary & I received a few days ago (mid-December ‘18) a poemgift from Fearringrton Village neighbors, Vicki & David Field, thanking us for including them in a recent gathering at our home. The gift consisted of David’s scrumptious chocolate chip cookies and Vicki’s superlative poem entitled Holiday Thoughts For 2018. Having savored both cookies and poem, we asked their permission to feature their gift in this blog post as an outstanding example of the impact one can achieve gifting a poemgift. They readily agreed. In your reading, we hope you can taste their cooking excellence and writing wisdom:
