Hometown: Burrton, Kansas
Tiny Lights, Poem 7
“Call back Grandma Claytie’s balcony of chimes and catalpa tree pods, salty catfish and sweet chocolate malt dinners at Henley’s…”
The inspiration for this poem…
The structure of this poem was offered in a workshop based on the structure of a famous poem, which I can no longer remember (help, anyone?). It never ceases to amaze me how a simple structure can set off a poem right away as the perfect container for an idea you might not even know you are carrying around. The idea of calling things back, or recalling, immediately took me to times when I do just that- try to recall a scene, sound, image, or event. Writing it down not only calls it back but gives it a place to live on. And so I set out to call back the memories I had of Kansas from summer train trips back to Burrton: the place where both my grandparents raised their children; where my parents met at 4 years old; the place I left at 6 months; the place where my grandparents ran the town newspaper; where my other grandpa died before I was born and my grandma ended up in a wheelchair with a fridge full of Coke.
Writing/Meditation Prompts:
Where are you from? Is it one place, or is it many more?
Write your own “call back” poem. Call back anything you chose.
Sit with your feet firmly planted where you are and call back your life, your love, your dreams. Let them come and go. But keep a notepad handy as you may want to take some notes!
Think about what you recall and why. Is there any of it you want or need to hang on to?