Listening As Your “Spirit” Moves
Enriching your life, your poetry proves,
You’re listening as your Spirit moves.
© Forrest W. Heaton 2013
(This was my two-line poem I included in the “Poet Spirit” section of our book, The Sixty-Minute Poet. You’ve got a “Poet Spirit” inside you as well! Are you listening to her or him?)
This is the second post in a duo dealing with my concept as explained in our 2013 book, The Sixty-Minute Poet, that, in our opinion, each human being has inside of them what we call a “Poet Spirit”, the capacity to write poetry regardless of how often, if never, they’ve tried. The first post, dated 17 Feb., presented a poem written in 2016 by long-time friend, now deceased, Bruce Barkley. This second post presents a poem by friend, Anne Raftery, that she wrote in response to Bruce’s poem. I had advised Anne of our friends, Bruce & Cathy Barkley, of Bruce’s diagnosis, of Bruce’s poem, and of Bruce’s question: “Why could he express these deep feelings better in poetry than in prose?” This was her answer:
I Write A Poem . . .
I write a poem . . .
When I need to turn fireworks into one shining star.
When I need to turn a thundering waterfall into one raindrop falling onto a calm lake.
When I need to turn overwhelming sadness or grief into the sensation of peace and faith.
When I need to pray.
© Anne Raftery February 2015
Brief bio: Anne has traveled far and wide; fortunately, her travels to North Carolina coincided with ours. She is now settled back in her home state of Connecticut in the town in which she grew up. But it was a circuitous route—Connecticut, Ecuador, Ohio, Kansas, Texas, North Carolina, back to Connecticut. As Anne has shared many times—“there is no such thing as coincidence.” Anne was meant to be a poet; she just needed to have: “The Sixty-Minute Poet” awakening!
We’ve also included two of Anne’s poems she shared with us recently.
Time For A Change
Early in to my new life
When I start my day
Has taken quite a turn
Out in my car driving to work
Well before the crack of dawn
Without a flinch or frown
Now it is with all my focus and purpose
That my day starts at bright light
Working into the day with ease
How does that happen?
Never an alarm clock involved?
Never a conscious “waking” thought to adjust?
I just knew it was time for a change
I just knew that a chapter had closed
I just knew that a new way had to be forged
© Anne Raftery September 2019
Time To Write
Spend time with quiet.
Spend time with words.
Discover the time.
Discover the readers.
Discover joy.
Discover poetry.
© Anne Raftery January 2020
Thank you, Anne, for sharing. We encourage you readers to write and share with us. Please know that we will not publish without your approval.