Grinning and Baring it
12/15/2004 02:33 p.m.
I’m sorry, but whether one calls it personification or anthropomorism, and whether one thinks it’s a good idea to do or not, in a poem, I will not forego assigning trees (and for that matter stone, water, whatever) with human sensations, or nature, if the image strikes me this way, and seems valid and fitting. I say this not angrily but with conviction, following a sweeping declaration to avoid all that in Deciduous, my recent poem posted here, when brought to my local critique group in Ottawa. For me the use felt so real and true, the shame and loss they seemed to show hanging out bare branches in November, and in some of my landscape pieces it is so innate to the scene to me, to do this, I would be totally untrue to my inspiration to lose it. Some qualities or aspects of our own personal style we may have to just say “I did it my way” for, and keep. This is one of those cases for me.
Much as I respect and benefit from many critique comments and don't take it personally, I know I have to sift through what I accept and don’t in this process.

On a funnier note, an overheard excuse by a customer at the cash in a retail store yesterday made me smile. A man was trying to do a return, and explained “the dog ate my receipt.”

I laughed and said, just like homework, eh?

For writing, I’d started a poem I’ve been conceiving for a few weeks now, about my bird sticker book when I was a child, and wrote out the first draft late the other night, in bed, and now can’t find it. It must have gone the way of the pile of Christmas gift lists and gotten buried. Ironically, as it’s an elegy poem about losing something...but if I find it soon, and have the moments free which seem so rare now, not just because of Christmas but our sick brother-in-law, I will re-write it and polish and post it soon. But it needles me, pardon the pun, not having it at hand fresh after starting it.

I just learned my brother and his wife, will be joining us tonight after work, and my sister, who I knew was coming in for her appointment at the Civic, plus the hospital wants to send Jack home now and maybe today, so it’s another busy day ahead, but it should be nice and I feel optimistic. Good thing I started the housework early this morning.

I agreed to give part of the reading at church on Sunday, haven’t received the assigned passages information yet, though, and so readings haven’t stopped for me yet. But church is such a joy and consolation and inspiration, I’m happy to do that.

Well, back for a moment with those gorgeous trees, whose tops today in white are stretching against sunny skies, and true blues, and if I need to personify them, I will indeed. excuse errors, I have to run....