April is national poetry month – designated perhaps by the muses themselves – and lyrical conversations in imagery, rhyme and meter have abounded in libraries, coffee houses and on Facebook.
This Friday, April 29, at the Artesia Coffee House in Sechelt (Arts Centre), two poets will present – Martha Royea and Jane Covernton. What is Poetry For? is the title of Covernton’s latest poem and a current theme for others to work on at the ongoing poetry club that takes place monthly at the Roberts Creek Library. Covernton’s suggestion is that poetry increases the soul matter and is “soul touching soul – but through time and space.”
The author of a collection, A Body of Poetry, Covernton was also the instigator of what she describes as an “epic poetry festival” last year. Thirty-seven poets turned up to read over four weekends, some more accomplished at the art than others, but all enthusiastic. Obviously the passion was there.
This year Covernton opened a group Facebook page called Poem a Day and a bevy of local people signed up to write about many aspects of their lives: one dedicated her poem to the lessons to be learned from her cat, another wrote about gratitude for nature and the light, an athletic guy wrote about the good sweaty feel of a vigorous run. Some wrote haiku, concise, simple three line verse; other poems were witty, riddled with puns and irony.
When Enid Muirhead wrote her poem in honour of Shakespeare’s birthday in sonnet format, Terry Barker, veteran poet of Sechelt (A Fine Romance, Two Old Broads and Other Poems) responded to her with his classic sonnet. They started up a poetic conversation that inspired others.
“Sonnets are daunting,” said Covernton, but reading them on this group page may have moved some to try writing them.
At the Gibsons library, League of Canadian Poets member Heidi Greco and local award-winning poet Marion Quednau teamed up to present a reading based on the proposed theme of “the road.” Sometimes the poets tracked the road metaphorically, sometimes literally. Greco wrote about the ferry ride, the Fraser River bridge and the early days of Vancouver – a road journey in time. Quednau’s long narrative poems employed road images, exploring a dialogue with her daughter and again with her father while driving the Toronto expressway.
“Poetry’s a lot about language under pressure,” she said.
The next poetry club meeting is May 14 from 2 to 4 p.m. at Roberts Creek Library. It’s casual – anyone can attend and enjoy. (Write Jane at [email protected] for more information.) Poet Linda King, a participant in the poetry club, has just released a collection titled No Dimes for the Dancing Gypsies from BlazeVOX Books. It is available online at the publisher’s site, at Amazon, and soon to be found at Talewind Books in Sechelt.
