how many poems,

she wondered,

had died within her,

embryonic,

arriving inconveniently

while she was in the midst

of duty and responsibility,

and dutifully and responsibly

she'd swept them away
like so much dust
and inconvenience

© 2011 Kathryn Hall, hilARiTus
Posted at Turquoise Tangles with permission

Kathyrn Hall shared her poem with me, along with this note, "Your comment earlier today reminded me of this little poem I wrote 10 years ago…… Don't make my mistake….."

The conversation she's referring to was on Facebook, on Monday, August 22, 2011, at the beginning of this week. Her wisdom filled words resonated with many of my friends. Here is an excerpt from the comment thread on her poetic post:

Karen Smith wrote, "Put that in a note somewhere so I can share it to my friends, there are many who are in this particular boat, and we all try to support each other in finding our quiet places to create."

JD added, "Thanks for the reminder of what NOT to forget!"

I chimed in to ask, "I was thinkin', if it was OK with you, I could post your poem as a Guest at Turquoise Tangles and include our conversation that prompted you to share it with me too. I have a photo of dishes in my sink just waiting as well as your marvelous canvas crowns that can illustrate it. I'll wait to hear from you and plan to spend my day doin' some writin' and Mom Stuff too. Will check back in with you later. So glad you shared your wise words with all of us. Love, Janean"

Kathryn graciously accepted, "I am honored, Janean — happy for you to share it on Turquoise Tangles!! I'm especially glad that it spoke to you in a meaningful way. It's one of those little "tumbled out of me" poems that I thought I might re-work someday, but it's always just stayed the same. I never did. I guess it said what I needed for it to."

To which I replied, "I'm a believer in leaving it be, once a poem is typed and polished. Otherwise, if you kept editing, it'll ruin the spirit of it in the moment you wrote it in. My 2¢ anyway. Thank you for permission to post. I WILL and will post a link on your wall when it's done. So glad you shared it here so it could touch more lives than just mine with your wise words."

This spring, my mother introduced Kathryn Hall and I through Facebook. We'd met before that though, when I admired her artwork. I'd seen Kathryn's "Stories" and "Art Freak" crowns at Eclectic Gallery, in Jacksonville, Illinois, on a Thanksgiving visit home. I couldn't get them out of my mind or choose between them either. So I put BOTH of them on my birthday and Christmas Wish List that year…and Wishes Do Come True!

I had the pleasure of meeting Kathryn in person this past May. It was so wonderful to visit, laugh together and share our hearts in person after talking with our fingers through typed notes here and there. Some photographs too. However, even The Best Virtual Venue doesn't replace the joy and fun of connecting with a Kindred Spirit in person. Until our next face to face meeting, we're enjoying one another's company via Facebook. It'll have to do, for now.

Related Links:
Create First. The Dishes Can Wait.
http://my.opera.com/jbaird/blog/2011/08/26/write-first-the-dishes-can-wait

Eclectic Art on Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Eclectic-Art/102180663166457

Eclectic Art
http://www.eclecticartco-op.com/

Suburban (in)Sanity by Karen Smith
http://beckersmith.typepad.com/my_weblog/

Sit. Desk. Write. by JD
http://sitdeskwrite.com/

"The Living Room"
http://my.opera.com/jbaird/blog/the-living-room

© 2011 Janean Baird, Turquoise Tangles