I know…a baaaad title for anything. But it’s 5am and I’m not really that creative this time of the morning. It could be titled “White Cranes” Continue to Moult”, and that would be the truth of the matter.
I just got the text done…organized….the poems arranged for this new book. The “a LOT of help from my friends” part comes from various friends taking clumps of the poems and reading them and returning them with their crits and comments. I’m not that territorial about my poetry, though Nick Nicholson would disagree…. but what the hell….these friends are writers and good ones, too…and IF I can’t trust these friends…who?
Compiling poetry is so different than going over chapters. I had 90 plus poems, and decided that this was too much for anyone, including me…to read. So I got them down to 50….and they are all seasonal poems. None of them are love, erotica, etc, though there is a thread of erotica in many of them…just not a blatant thread.
Bill Penrose yesterday…the fellow who does all the really hard work on my books: the formatting for the publisher….suggested illustrations to make the book ‘more interesting’. I think he’s on to something here, dear Bill. I used to be a painter…and have lots of pix of the paintings..mostly landscapes and birds , so some of these paintings hopefully will make it into the new book. We can try this and see how it works. It will make the book more expensive I am told, but it will be ‘more interesting’.
Lady Nyo
—
AUTUMN POEM
—
The chilling rains
Have blasted leaves
From black-barked trees.
Too soon has this happened
Thinking there would be yet time.
—
Time to marvel
At Nature’s robust palette,
To fill the eyes and senses
With ethereal beauty
No man-made tints can challenge.
—
But like most of life
We are behind
And lose out to clockwork
Not of our making.
—
Jane Kohut-Bartels
Copyrighted, 2010
Tags: "White Cranes of Heaven", Autumn comes, Bill Penrose, friends, poetry, publishing, seasonal poetry
Lady Nyo's Weblog 
September 10, 2010 at 11:25 pm
Hope the new book of poems does well!
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September 11, 2010 at 12:04 pm
Thanks.
We will see. It’s been fun putting this book together.
Lady Nyo
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September 11, 2010 at 8:28 pm
I’m so glad to read that you are considering using some of your own artwork! We’ve talked about this before, and I know you don’t remember, but many years ago you were kind enough to send me a little watercolor of a small pond with a stone bench and some plants surrounding. It has a place of honor in my front hallway and I love it. You are a multi-talented woman, my dear!
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September 11, 2010 at 9:58 pm
I have done two of my own, and it’s not only a lot of work, but it’s too easy to make a mistake and not find it until too late! You are fortunate to have earned such good helpers. But it’s no more than you deserve.
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September 11, 2010 at 11:46 pm
LOL>…Oh my, I don’t remember that….but I am honored that you have placed any painting of mine in such a place! Thank you!
Illustrations would be better if they were in black and white….but I don’t really have much of those…somewhere tucked away I have some I am sure….but I loved color and watercolor after years of oil…was satisfying.
Bill Penrose thinks that this will be an expensive venture, but my husband….who pays the bills….says this: “Whatever it takes.”.
LOL! Lovely. I think we shall have to limit the paintings to about four..probably something that speaks to a particular season, but then again, I don’t know. Bill and Katie Troutman, (an excellent writer and painter herself) are good advisors here. Plus, it’s fun to not have to make these decisions yourself. Spreading it out gives a different perspective, and that is more fun for me. I learn more that way, too.
Thanks, Margie, for writing. We have a long history. I called Donnie and Shirley this afternoon, always do around 9/11…..just again….history.
Hugs,
Jane
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September 11, 2010 at 11:55 pm
Well, this is an experiment. Giving out poems is easier than giving out chapters. And these friends have all expressed interest in the poetry. Some of them are very good poets themselves…I think all of them….EXCEPT Bill…who had a different talent, and a fierce one at that.
It’s just good to get a book mostly done after almost a year of planning and going over lists and topics for this little book. After I decided to only make it seasonal poems, it got easier but also that was a challenge. I didn’t think I would have enough poems on that theme…but apparently I did…and enough to cull out some.
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