Happy Poetry Friday! Our host for this week’s round-up is Tanita on her blog, Fiction, instead of Lies. For links to more poetry, be sure to visit her page.
Many of you know I’ve been staying with my Dad in his home in Brockport New York for the last two-plus weeks. Last week, while I was running errands (mostly to the grocery store), I went to an independent bookstore.
I bought a poetry book written by Buffalonians. I thought I would relate to it, as I told you in last week’s post. I have not. Much of the poetry is obtuse and hard to process. Some of it deals with drugs and identity issues which I have not experienced myself.
But I did find one poem by Janna Willoughby-Lohr, published in My Next Heart: New Buffalo Poetry (2017) that I could relate to. It is called THIS IS OUR ADDRESS and about her receiving her deceased mother’s mail ten years after her death.
The third stanza reads:
"And it's bitter and savory that I'll be moving soon
and will no longer get the mail at this address and
I won't have to feel guitly for missing the book sale,
I just feel guilty for moving away."
The house I am in with my Dad is not one of the two houses I lived in growing up. He and my mom moved from that house 20 years ago, well after I became an adult and had moved away. And, living in Wisconsin, I don’t receive mail addressed to my parents.
But, I do get mail addressed to each of our sons at our cabin where my husband and I live now. We never got mail there until our permanent move to the Northwoods in 2022. I find myself not knowing what to do with our sons’ mail – I save it to give to them. I save it because I’m their mom, just like Janna was saving her mom’s mail.
The poem goes on to state that the author will keep a few pieces of her mom’s mail because she cannot bring herself to toss her name into the waste can and prolong efforts to let mom linger longer in her house.
I found the poem poignant and expressive, bringing emotions of time and loss to the surface.
I am also here to tell you that the round-up for next week, 12/6/2024 is here at The Apples in My Orchard! I am planning to host despite returning to Wisconsin this week to check in at our home before returning to be with my Dad for the Christmas Holidays. I hope to see you all!
On My Medium Page This Week
I wrote about our Thanksgiving dinner yesterday at my Dad’s house. It has yet to be published, when it is, I will post a link to it on this page.
Ways I’m extending my writing
I am looking into writing on Substack. Do any of you do this? If so, what is your niche? Do you have any advice for me before I start? Right now, this is just an idea. I’ve done some reading on doing it – including a newsletter, specialized content (environmental education or EE), and more. Of course, when (if) I decide to do it, I wonder if you’d sign up (free) with your email.
My idea is to offer EE lesson plans and curricula (all I’ve written and used with students) both as an introductory offer (no fee) and later, if I gather enough email followers, as part of exclusive content for subscribers. Let me know what you think. I’m interested in your thoughts.
The largest issue to consider is the work this will produce and whether I want to commit to providing the content. It will require a different use of my time than my writing does now. I do have legitimate authority to provide the lessons as I wrote them and used them with students. My formal education includes a master’s degree in environmental education.
The Apples in My Orchard 
I always love a poetry collection because there’s usually at least one which resonates. What a poignant, nostalgic stanza you’ve shared. I haven’t lived at home really since I was sixteen and lo, these many, MANY (š«£!!) years later, my mom still gets the occasional bit of postal flotsam for me. I always thought the digitizing of communication would change this… apparently not!
Maybe that’s a way we’re eternal too; our names are still floating somewhere in the postal system.
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Ha! I love that – postal flotsam! I wanted to let you know I cannot seem to post a comment on your blog article today – it says I’m blocked. I’d love to comment on your post – Thanks.
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PS – I looked at my comment situation and while I still don’t understand why you received a blocked message, you’re able to log in with Google on my blog, if that helps.
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I could relate to this post so much, Carol! My mother passed in 1999 in Arizona, where she resided. About three years ago, I received a piece of mail addressed to her. It was an offer for a loan through a loan intstitue associated with nursing (she was an RN). I was shocked needless to say and I didn’t save it.
I am on Substack. I thought I would be writing little poetry newsletters. I have not. So I am not much of a help.
Traveling mercies this week. I am happy that you are able to spend time with your dad.
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Thanks Jone. I’m glad you could relate to the post. I remembered you said you were going to try substack. I’m still on the fence about doing it. My son warned me that I am creating work for myself that my blog does not entail at this time. Thanks for letting me know you haven’t really pursued what you thought you would on Substack. Buffalo got hit, as you probably know, we got a few inches last night. Hopefully, we can still get out of here tomorrow, as planned. Thanks for your warm thoughts.
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So many echoes between your life and that poem. It’s magical when a poem resonates like that. I love your Ireland photos too. I have some on my blog this week :>) I’m not on substack and am looking at shrinking rather than expanding the number of platforms I explore and share on. There just aren’t enough hours for me to keep up with it all. But I hope you have a great experience with it if you start sharing there!
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Hi Carol, thanks for sharing your photos and thoughts about Substack. It sure does look like itās becoming more and more popular. I would follow you there.
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I love thinking about addresses and how mail and memories follow us — or don’t. Thanks for this lovely, musing post.
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I’m with Laura PS — trying to shrink (or at least corral) the platforms where I post. I do READ several newsletters on substack, but I get notifications in email so that I don’t go down the rabbit hole of the app. Don’t spread yourself too thin! Leave time for family, poetry, and travel!
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Thanks for your input, MaryLee. I am still on the fence about the substack. My son, who is very tech saavy has warned me not to make more work for myself and urged me to finish my novel instead. I’d like to write more serious, useful pieces with the curriculum I wrote. Right now I’m on WordPress, Medium, and Teachers Pay Teachers. It doesn’t leave much time for submissions or a regular publishing scheme like substack would require. As my son told me, if I’m going to ask people to susbscribe for a nominal fee, I have to be sure I provide them something of value.
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Apologies! My spam filter previously requires a one time registration to comment. Despite my disabling that, it might be what’s at issue. I’ll try to clear that.
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Thanks!
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