I’ve done a lot of reflective thinking lately. About life. About my hobbies. About my writing. And about poetry.

I am at a point of change.

I realize I need new hobbies and desire to learn something new.

I realize that I am more of an essayist than a poet. I love poetry and will continue to write and explore it. But given that I arrived late in life to the craft—like many others—I’m convinced I’ll never fully be able to embrace it like my essays.

Some write poetry every day. I write an essay every day. That’s the simple truth. When I’m inspired I write poetry – sometimes I awaken in the wee hours of the morning with my brain spinning a poem. I’ve learned to get up and write those down. I will continue to work on it despite my realization that I am an essayist.

Our trip to Ireland last fall inspired me in many ways. I am enthralled with the history of the country and the tenacity of its people, as well as the beauty held within its borders.

Last night, while mindlessly scrolling on my phone, I came across a poem by William Butler Yeats, the esteemed Irish poet. After a little research, I found that this lake is a real place in County Sligo that Yeats visited as a young child. It still exists today.

The Lake Isle of Innisfree

By William Butler Yeats

I will arise and go now, and go to Innisfree,
And a small cabin build there, of clay and wattles made;
Nine bean-rows will I have there, a hive for the honey-bee,
And live alone in the bee-loud glade.

And I shall have some peace there, for peace comes dropping slow,
Dropping from the veils of the morning to where the cricket sings;
There midnight’s all a glimmer, and noon a purple glow,
And evening full of the linnet’s wings.

I will arise and go now, for always night and day
I hear lake water lapping with low sounds by the shore;
While I stand on the roadway, or on the pavements grey,
I hear it in the deep heart’s core.

Copyright Credit: W.B. Yeats, “The Lake Isle of Innisfree" from The Wanderings of Oisin and Other Poems. (London: Kagan Paul, Trench and Co., 1889.) Public domain.

The poem attracts me for the following reasons. The first is that Yeats has a desire to go home to Ireland, just as I’ve had a desire to go “home” to our cabin on the lake. Although he had been residing in England, a place familiar to him, he still had this desire.

He finds soothing sights and sounds by the lakeside. The sounds of the crickets, the colors of the sky, and the lapping of the water are all things I also appreciate at our lake home.

Yeats seems to want to withdraw from his busier life and be self-sustaining in a Thoreau-type way. Recently, my husband and I have discussed the possible need to live in a self-sustaining way.

During his life, which you can read about on the Poetry Foundation website, Yeats “became” several different people with different priorities and values. Although not biased or loud about politics in his earlier life, he did change after meeting Ezra Pound and the Easter uprising of 1916.

The uprising, and subsequent jailing of the rebels in Ireland at Kilmainham Gaol, which we visited in Ireland, also had an effect on me when we visited and learned of this history. I have written a poem on the uprising and hope to send it to an Irish publisher.

I’ve never before read Yeats until last night, but find myself greatly interested in him. He was a complex person, as am I. And Irish history is complex, as the history of the United States is sure to be. On vacation, I read the Princes of Ireland saga by Edward Rutherford and highly recommend it to understand the commitment the Irish have to their country. Soon, I’ll read the Rebels of Ireland, also by Rutherford. They are available on Amazon.

Our political situation in this country is tenuous at best. I will not go into all my personal reasons as to why I feel as I do but will say that, like Yeats, I have developed a desire to speak out. Yesterday, I called both Wisconsin Senators’ offices, and using a script on 5calls.org, I voiced my concerns. We are living in a truly scary time.

As a former nurse who vaccinated hundreds of children and a former environmental educator who informed youth and the general citizenry of my communities, you know where my concerns are.

Also, last night after reading Yeat’s poem, I picked up a paintbrush for the first time since grade school and tried a watercolor painting. It was soothing to create something from nothing – although the painting is not remarkable, I got a great sense of relief from working on a nature scene.

This post is rambling, and for that I am sorry. But, for all those who have asked, I am doing okay. We got back to Wisconsin just after midnight Sunday Morning – yes, the night of the time change. It’s taken most of the week to “feel” normal, although both my husband and I are still tired at times. But, life goes on. And, I’m determined to live it well.

Today is Poetry Friday. This week’s host is Janice at Salt City Verse. Thanks for hosting, Janice!