The Poetry of Progress; a Thanksgiving Story

November 20, 2009

I had no idea this familiar poem had anything to do with Thanksgiving. I love Thanksgiving. I'm the pie guy in the family. It's a pleasure to cook a pumpkin pie and a pecan pie for the holiday. The last few years, the pies have even been edible! What is not so tasty is that I'm not good at giving actual thanks. In the spirit of the holiday, let me give it a shot.

When I started this crazy poetry obsession, I had no credits to my name. Heck, I had no name. There came a point where my blah, blah, blah about poetry seemed to bouncing off brick walls creating quite the echo chamber. So, I went on a self-imposed quiet period.

The quiet period is over. What a difference six months make. I've won several awards, local and national. I've been published and accepted for publication in some respectable journals. I am no longer creditless.

Most importantly, I've found a supportive Oregon poetry community. I joined the Oregon State Poetry Association and had the pleasure of attending two of their conferences and meeting some of the region's best poets.

I'm part of a group called the "Tall Poets Society" with award winning poets Steve Williams and Shawn Sorensen (we're all over 6'5"). The camaraderie has been wonderful and they've been very thoughtful in providing feedback on my work. Their great work has also inspired me.

When I was stuck with a bit of writer's block this fall, the very talented poet Constance Hall was kind enough to give me some encouragement and advice.

After seeing my work, a very generous Fran Turney sent me a classic book on Hiroshima. She also showed my poems "Japan 1944" and "Hanford" to Lawson Inada, the Poet Laureate of Oregon. This is especially meaningful for me because of his experiences in a U.S. Japanese internment camp.

Sandy Didner, a college professor in Florida, read my poem "Time and Fates of Man" and asked if she could teach it to her students. I also had the pleasure of offering encouragement and advice to a couple of young, talented kids whose creativity gives hope for our future.

My wife Tracey, who really isn't a huge poetry fan, puts up with a lot. She reads my poems, many times under protest. She helps me put together contest entries. She also endures more of my non-stop blah, blah, blah about poetry than you could imagine.

I need to stop myself. I just realized I did not actually say "thank you" to any of the people listed above. I just bragged about myself, again. Horrifying! I told you, I'm not very good at this thanking thing. One more time...

Thank you, everyone, for your kindness and support. Thank you for reading. You've enriched my life and work. You've made everything taste as good as pumpkin and pecan pies. I hope your Thanksgiving is as happy you've made mine.