Poetry Friday - Celebrating "Dear Poet" - Charles Ghigna

Carol Varsalona at Beyond LiteracyLink hosts today's Poetry Friday. She's sharing beautiful words and images as we move away from summer. Thanks, Carol, for the lovely goodbyes.

And thanks, today, to Resource Publications (Wipf and Stock Publishers) for a copy of this new book of poetry by Charles Ghigna. 

I intended to gather a few books I love of Charles' work and take a picture of the poetry fun I've enjoyed through the years, but now I realize that I have none of them because they now live at my granddaughters' house. This time of year, I See Fall, Oh My!, Pumpkin Pie, and Halloween Night are the ones on my mind, but choose a topic or a season and you will probably discover a book from Charles' long list of published books.

I often used words "about" poetry when my class wrote. I had poetry and prose groups early in the year in order to lay some foundations of writing so that students had choices when they wrote, either fiction or non-fiction. One favorite:

 An Historic Moment
                          William J. Harris

The man said,
after inventing poetry, 
"WOW!"
and did a full somersault.

           I'm doing a somersault over this new book!

              I read this new book, Dear Poet, Notes to a Young Writer, and then I read it again, wishing I had had it for my students. I certainly will share it with former colleagues! 

              It's a quiet song, inspiring writers with short reflections, according to the introduction from Charles and shown in the subtitle "A Poetic Journey into the Creative Process for Readers, Writers, Artists, & Dreamers". 

             I loved how the poems begin with words of advice, but words that allow readers to ponder their own responses, too, then write. There are some "Do nots. . ." but answered with the counterpoint of what "to do". A focus is writing from self: "Let the mirror/of your eyes/fill the page." along with writing truth. And one poem speaks that truth: "There is no/need/for the poet.//"There is only/need/for the poem."
             Advice to get it out, "Get it all out on paper", trust, question, created in brief words that when I read them, felt like loud cheers. A favorite, some words I will keep close: 

"Each writer's block

is not a rock.

It is a stepping stone."

             Toward the end, the actual defining of poems themselves feels like true celebrations, sparkling images that may help poets, young and old, find their own favorites or create their own. Is a poem "whispers made of thunder", something that "opens up an eye" or "a moon, a star,/a glimpse of who you are." What do you think?

             Thank you, Charles, for a wonderful book, which while it says "for young writers", will inspire everyone.