A Poem from a Novel

I'm currently reading Distant Dreams by Judith Pella and Tracie Peterson which is really good.  It is  about a young woman in the 1830s who is at the age of her coming out but is much more interested in railroads and other topics considered only suitable for men.

Here is the poem at the beginning of Part IV:

We surely live in a very fast age;
We've traveled by ox-teams, and then by stage
But when such conveyance is all done away
We'll travel in steam cars upon the railway!

By James Crane

I like it's simplicity and how it reflects the time so well.  It also really fits with the book well.

Poetry class

I've started a poetry class which has been really great.  It is run like a workshop and so far I have gotten some great feedback on two of my poems.  Here is the first one that I shared with edits from my classmates' suggestions.

The Hangover

By Rebecca Klamert

the dog howls on

a slow whine morphs

into a cry of a fallen

coconut on an empty island

the dog howls on

the whack of a tennis ball

volleys back and forth

echoing

between my ears

the dog howls on

the screen flashes

in front of me

covered in swahili

as my eyes blink closed

the dog is quiet

A Good Story and a Poem

So yesterday morning, we were sitting at the dealership working out a deal on a car. I thought it a perfect experience to write a poem about and so I brought my notebook with and while we sat there waiting and negotiating, I wrote.

At one point the salesman asked, "What are you writing?"  I simply told him "a poem."  He let it be for the moment but later when my husband was reading it over he asked, "You aren't writing about me are you?"  When I said, "yes" he appeared quite shocked and said, "no seriously!"  I went on to explain that I was comparing negotiating a deal to a dance.  He still seemed taken a back even after my husband explained it could be about any salesperson.  I can only imagine what he must have been thinking.  Anyway, my husband and I had a good laugh about it later.

Here is the poem:

The Dance at the Dealer
By Rebecca Klamert

Adorned in suit and tie
he looks out of place.
He follows the arc of the arrow
seeing us from his perch.

Asked to dance we follow
his lead as he lures us in.
Relinquishing the power,
momentarily.  He listens.

He leans back scoffing
at what he finds ridiculous.
He is then quiet, reflective
and leans forward.

We lean back unimpressed,
holding our breath, as he steps
away to an enclosed glass room.
He returns a smile on his face

and slides across the table
numbers in dark blue ink,
piercing the paper.  Again
he disappears in the glass room,

returning he remarks confidently
“We’ve got a deal” grasping
our hands firmly;
as the music fades.