I started writing my blog on Monday but struggled terribly with it. It did not feel right. Today, I understood why.
I visited my dear friend, Ginny, an artist and mentor who recently published a book of her poetry. She shared a copy with me.
I admire her courage in following her dream at 91 to leave a legacy to her children, grandchildren, and loved ones. She also shared her gift of words.
Ginny is exceptional; her artwork is on the cover and inside the pages. Her vision was that this book should be printed as if the pages were on the lined paper of a spiral notebook handwritten in pencil.
It is magical!
She told me the technology was overwhelming, and another friend helped her communicate with the publisher to ensure her ideas came to fruition. I am confident her request was rarely asked for in publishing.
The result is personable and a perfect way to get to know this author. Ginny Pierson wrote in her preface, “I continue to write in pencil. Hand shaping words.” When I read this, I looked at her and said, “These words are of a true artist. You are writing as if you are sculpting.”
She loves to collect Words like she loves to collect sea glass on the shores of Lake Michigan to “amuse, stun, and inspire.”
Another brave thing she did was join a writing group in her community and bring a poem to share. Since that first meeting, she has developed strong friendships and supporters who “pushed” her to publish a collection of work, thus the title Collections.
There are 105 poems to ponder. In her youth, her abstract watercolor paintings covered large sheets of paper, which became smaller in her later years. Then she turned to poetry, expressing herself by writing in pencil instead of using a paintbrush. Knowing her background as a visual artist, her book is like holding her paintings in my hand, turning its pages to see her creativity on each sheet of lined paper with spiraled wire in the crease, yielding to emotions of humor and sadness.
Her thoughts, from childhood memories to current events, fill this book with herself. I love that I have been included in this legacy.
I am very proud and honored to be a part of her life and book, which I will always treasure!
Here is one of her poems on page 101:
If You Please
I want the rainbow to paint me
And
The sun to dance with me.
I will
Carry only the weight of a feather
And let
The muse grant me poems of
Such firm
Light they would make me weep.
Ginny Pierson
Do you have any favorite poetry book, poet,poems, or poems you would like to share? Please leave your comments below.
