One of nature’s poems I photographed on January 10, 2025. It makes a nice image for this post on why I write poetry. But first, a word about my new book, It’s Just a Phase.
We sold out of the first print run in early December, but my publisher has informed me that the second print run is now finished and be in stock. I am happy copies will again be available from Walnut Street Publishing.
I learned today that Humanities Tennessee will include a review of It’s Just a Phase in the statewide newsletter, “Chapter 16.” I never dreamed of this kind of exposure. The post will include a review, author headshot, cover image, and one of the poems.
I also learned today that I will be included in an authors’ panel at the Trails and Trilliums event, April 4-6 at Beersheba Springs Assembly on the Cumberland Plateau. Park Rangers and other Naturalists from across the state will attend this workshop.
I will also have a book signing at the Crazy Book Lady in Acworth, Georgia on Saturday, February 22.
On Wednesday, February 19 at 6:00 PM, I will offer a generative poetry workshop “Family and Other Animals” at Reve Coffee and Books in Hixson, Tennessee.
Another Diversion
I am putting the finishing touches on this edition on the night following the full moon. In Janisse Ray’s Journey in Place workshop presented via her Trackless Wild Substack: we renamed the full moons to reflect our location and experience. I renamed January the Moon of Rain and Flood because I once saw Glen Falls flowing at full volume after walking the path on muddy trails. I wrote the poem “Rain” to celebrate the event.
Like a poem that fills the heart to overflowing
rain covered the mountain just after the New Year.
Murmuring rivulets covered once dry leaves,
intersected paths and muddied trails,
muddied shoes and trouser legs.
I plunged through fecund mud and leaves,
became a mud man devoted to Sylvan gods.
Glen Falls became a roaring torrent,
deceived my ears.
Thinking it close, I forged ahead.
The cascade below the falls
became a booming choir.
Basses and contraltos reverberated
from hickory and oak.
I bowed before the splendor,
prepared to endure cold days ahead,
anticipated Equinox rebirth.
"Rain" first appeared in the journal Number One (now defunct), a Volunteer State Community College publication, in Gallatin, Tennessee. I republished it in my book, Healing and Conflict.
On this drier and colder January Night, I returned from a meeting of the Chattanooga Writers’ Guild around 8:00 pm and looked up to a clear sky to see Orion. As is my custom, I greeted the mighty hunter with the words, “Hello, Old Friend.” After all these years, he still doesn't reply.
The waning gibbous moon shined brightly to his north but did not obscure the hunter. He is one of the brightest winter constellations. Below him, the Dog Star, Syrius, shined brightly with Procyon to its north. Above Orion shone Aldebaron and one other star in the Hyades portion of Taurus. A few of the Pleiades burned brightly too.
I saw only bright Castor and Pollux of the Gemini twins above Procyon. I used the StarDate podcast to identify the nearby orange light as Mars. It is closest to the Earth now and, from our perspective, near the moon.
Why I Shouldn’t Write Poetry
I can think of a few compelling reasons not to write poetry before telling you why I do. If you don’t want to hear why I shouldn’t write poetry, skip to the next section of this edition. The final section includes exciting news for my new book, It’s Just a Phase. Some of them are beyond my fondest dreams.
The foremost reason not to write poetry is that it doesn’t pay. Guy Clark lamented this situation in his song “Cold Dog Soup.”
The small print run is a related issue. I once told a well-published fellow poet I was negotiating publication with a small press that used 500 copies as its standard print run. He told me this was a huge print run for a poetry book, and his comment filled me with foreboding.
At another time, a fiction publisher criticized me for telling people that another book had surpassed 300 copies. He said that people would think the book was a loser because it was not selling enough copies.
It is true that novels and some nonfiction books, especially cookbooks, surpass poetry and short story collections in sales, with a few notable exceptions. Billy Collins has made publishing his poetry into a small industry. A look at one of his TED talks illustrates why his work is popular. His poem “The Lanyard,” is a personal favorite.
That talk also illustrates why he has detractors among poets who view poetry as SERIOUS BUSINESS. He is noted for using humor and criticizing pretentious writing. He values “accessible poetry,” It is rumored that when he became Poet Laureate of the United States some poets went so far as to elect an “anti-laureate.”
His success illustrates a point about writing generally. For every Billy Collins, Stephen King, or Danielle Steele, hundreds support themselves with other jobs. The traditional measures of career success elude most writers.
I only included one poem about monetary success in my latest book. I debated including the poem “Money,” but the topic is inextricably linked to the human condition.
Money When it comes to money there is never enough. People with plenty say times are tough. For those without, times are tougher still. There’s no cash in the house to pay that bill. Adam Smith said we will always want more to buy new goods; keep the wolf from the door. The wolf is what we always perceive. Your wealth is determined by what you believe. I examine my bills and check my account, as I wish I had a larger amount.
Why I Write Poetry
I am no Billy Collins, but my poetry is sometimes called accessible. Writing a poem is much like solving a puzzle. I discover which words fit where, and why. I write in several forms and don’t believe one is superior to the others. Some forms have specific rhythms and rhyming patterns. Free verse also has a rhythm but is more like syncopated jazz while other forms might be compared to classical music.
I also write poetry as a means of communication. I express joy at the wonders of nature, chagrin at their mistreatment, and hope for a better future. I detour into matters of humanity and societal issues. Some listeners will agree, and some may disagree vehemently. I say listeners because my poetry is meant to be read out loud.
I appreciate poets who write for the page but I emphasize performance poetry and public readings. For me, putting a poem on the page is only the beginning. This belief is not new or revolutionary. Scholars tell us the Odyssey was recited for audiences before it was written. Some say the various sections were created separately and later became an epic poem with several sections.
I like that thought. It emphasizes the poet as the bard. Performance poets may be more closely aligned with songwriters, storytellers, and playwrights than novelists and nonfiction writers.
This essay began as a journal entry in response to “Credo,” Chapter 7 of Craft and Current by Janisse Ray. The chapter ended with an exercise and a writing prompt that inspired me, although this writing does not exactly adhere to her guidelines.
This story first appeared in my Substack newsletter, https://substack.rayzimmerman.com.
We sold out of the first print run in early December, but my publisher has informed me that the second print run is now finished and be in stock. I am happy copies will again be available from Walnut Street Publishing.
I learned today that Humanities Tennessee will include a review of It’s Just a Phase in the statewide newsletter, “Chapter 16.” I never dreamed of this kind of exposure. The post will include a review, author headshot, cover image, and one of the poems.
I also learned today that I will be included in an authors’ panel at the Trails and Trilliums event, April 4-6 at Beersheba Springs Assembly on the Cumberland Plateau. Park Rangers and other Naturalists from across the state will attend this workshop.
I will also have a book signing at the Crazy Book Lady in Acworth, Georgia on Saturday, February 22.
On Wednesday, February 19 at 6:00 PM, I will offer a generative poetry workshop “Family and Other Animals” at Reve Coffee and Books in Hixson, Tennessee.
Another Diversion
I am putting the finishing touches on this edition on the night following the full moon. In Janisse Ray’s Journey in Place workshop presented via her Trackless Wild Substack: we renamed the full moons to reflect our location and experience. I renamed January the Moon of Rain and Flood because I once saw Glen Falls flowing at full volume after walking the path on muddy trails. I wrote the poem “Rain” to celebrate the event.
Like a poem that fills the heart to overflowing
rain covered the mountain just after the New Year.
Murmuring rivulets covered once dry leaves,
intersected paths and muddied trails,
muddied shoes and trouser legs.
I plunged through fecund mud and leaves,
became a mud man devoted to Sylvan gods.
Glen Falls became a roaring torrent,
deceived my ears.
Thinking it close, I forged ahead.
The cascade below the falls
became a booming choir.
Basses and contraltos reverberated
from hickory and oak.
I bowed before the splendor,
prepared to endure cold days ahead,
anticipated Equinox rebirth.
"Rain" first appeared in the journal Number One (now defunct), a Volunteer State Community College publication, in Gallatin, Tennessee. I republished it in my book, Healing and Conflict.
On this drier and colder January Night, I returned from a meeting of the Chattanooga Writers’ Guild around 8:00 pm and looked up to a clear sky to see Orion. As is my custom, I greeted the mighty hunter with the words, “Hello, Old Friend.” After all these years, he still doesn't reply.
The waning gibbous moon shined brightly to his north but did not obscure the hunter. He is one of the brightest winter constellations. Below him, the Dog Star, Syrius, shined brightly with Procyon to its north. Above Orion shone Aldebaron and one other star in the Hyades portion of Taurus. A few of the Pleiades burned brightly too.
I saw only bright Castor and Pollux of the Gemini twins above Procyon. I used the StarDate podcast to identify the nearby orange light as Mars. It is closest to the Earth now and, from our perspective, near the moon.
Why I Shouldn’t Write Poetry
I can think of a few compelling reasons not to write poetry before telling you why I do. If you don’t want to hear why I shouldn’t write poetry, skip to the next section of this edition. The final section includes exciting news for my new book, It’s Just a Phase. Some of them are beyond my fondest dreams.
The foremost reason not to write poetry is that it doesn’t pay. Guy Clark lamented this situation in his song “Cold Dog Soup.”
The small print run is a related issue. I once told a well-published fellow poet I was negotiating publication with a small press that used 500 copies as its standard print run. He told me this was a huge print run for a poetry book, and his comment filled me with foreboding.
At another time, a fiction publisher criticized me for telling people that another book had surpassed 300 copies. He said that people would think the book was a loser because it was not selling enough copies.
It is true that novels and some nonfiction books, especially cookbooks, surpass poetry and short story collections in sales, with a few notable exceptions. Billy Collins has made publishing his poetry into a small industry. A look at one of his TED talks illustrates why his work is popular. His poem “The Lanyard,” is a personal favorite.
That talk also illustrates why he has detractors among poets who view poetry as SERIOUS BUSINESS. He is noted for using humor and criticizing pretentious writing. He values “accessible poetry,” It is rumored that when he became Poet Laureate of the United States some poets went so far as to elect an “anti-laureate.”
His success illustrates a point about writing generally. For every Billy Collins, Stephen King, or Danielle Steele, hundreds support themselves with other jobs. The traditional measures of career success elude most writers.
I only included one poem about monetary success in my latest book. I debated including the poem “Money,” but the topic is inextricably linked to the human condition.
Money When it comes to money there is never enough. People with plenty say times are tough. For those without, times are tougher still. There’s no cash in the house to pay that bill. Adam Smith said we will always want more to buy new goods; keep the wolf from the door. The wolf is what we always perceive. Your wealth is determined by what you believe. I examine my bills and check my account, as I wish I had a larger amount.
Why I Write Poetry
I am no Billy Collins, but my poetry is sometimes called accessible. Writing a poem is much like solving a puzzle. I discover which words fit where, and why. I write in several forms and don’t believe one is superior to the others. Some forms have specific rhythms and rhyming patterns. Free verse also has a rhythm but is more like syncopated jazz while other forms might be compared to classical music.
I also write poetry as a means of communication. I express joy at the wonders of nature, chagrin at their mistreatment, and hope for a better future. I detour into matters of humanity and societal issues. Some listeners will agree, and some may disagree vehemently. I say listeners because my poetry is meant to be read out loud.
I appreciate poets who write for the page but I emphasize performance poetry and public readings. For me, putting a poem on the page is only the beginning. This belief is not new or revolutionary. Scholars tell us the Odyssey was recited for audiences before it was written. Some say the various sections were created separately and later became an epic poem with several sections.
I like that thought. It emphasizes the poet as the bard. Performance poets may be more closely aligned with songwriters, storytellers, and playwrights than novelists and nonfiction writers.
This essay began as a journal entry in response to “Credo,” Chapter 7 of Craft and Current by Janisse Ray. The chapter ended with an exercise and a writing prompt that inspired me, although this writing does not exactly adhere to her guidelines.
This story first appeared in my Substack newsletter, https://substack.rayzimmerman.com.
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