Poems For My People

This collection, Poems For My People: Community, Volume 4 was written primarily in a variety of live settings: in a food pantry for guests while they waited to shop; in a woodland cidery during pre-dinner or weekend relaxation and drinks; in a Kindergarten classroom while students illustrated their poems; in a sunny summer backyard while friends reminisced on the deck; in a new-to-me coffee shop; in an assisted living home for residents; in an equally quiet and rowdy setting during finals’ week for anxious and studious college students to relax; in neighborhood art fairs while customers perused local artists’ wares and creativity...Each poem in this collection exists from the inspiration of individual requests. This collection represents more than 116 people, more than 116 conversations, and more than 116 connections to change the world for the better...one poem at a time.In some cases of events happening, I’d take the order of the poem and collected more orders than I could complete on the day, so I had to write the poem and deliver it outside of the live setting. While it’s my favorite and first choice to write and perform and deliver the poem, in person, to the one who requested it, all within 20-30 minutes, but it’s not always possible. I’m still able to maintain the integrity of the 'aliveness' of the request, though, because of the notes I took at the time.While the previous collection, Volume 3, 'the yellow book,' was unique because its poems were written only while I spent time in Yellow Bike Coffee in Duluth, Minnesota. This volume, however, 'the green book,' is unique because I wrote it simultaneously to the yellow-but, at all of the other locations when I wasn’t in that coffee shop.Individual Poems:For each of these poems, someone has especially commissioned me to write it. I’ve asked specific questions of the person making the request to determine what they want their poem to be about. I take notes of what they tell me, and then, I compose a quick draft in my notebook, in pen-usually a navy blue one from my favorite stationery shop, a Japanese store called, MUJI. After I create a draft, I type the poem, making minor edits (sometimes the result of a 'mistake' from typing) on my blue Smith Corona Classic 12 vintage typewriter. Finally, I share the poem with the person who requested it, keeping a copy for myself to include in the upcoming collection. The whole process from interview to handing over the poem usually occurs within 30 minutes. One of the fun and unique aspects of this particular collection is writing several of the poems in collaboration with the illustrations of the five and six year olds who received a haiku. I asked the children, one-on-one, for a weather word and an animal. Then, I handed them a piece of paper and coloring supplies. During the time that I counted syllables and considered a silly surprised, incorporating their words, they drew the animal in its weather. Writing poetry is pretty much my favourite thing, but being in this Kindergarten classroom was a particularly special highlight of a place to be and experience to write for this collection. Since I’ve chosen to alphabetise the poems by their title, you will see that these short haiku-esque poems are sprinkled throughout the collection.This collection of 116 poems was written during June 2023 - November 2024.