Tuesday, April 26, 2016

Fear Eater


image from letstravelradio.com


Fear Eater

“Life gives us experiences, teaches us lessons, gifts us with 
wisdom that is not for us to hoard selfishly. Most people 
accomplish this this through parenting. I have no children, 
so I write.”--My Mystery Poet.

What some of us discover as we age
       and mellow a bit, blunting the rancor we once
                were so willing to share with the world at large,
                        as we find ourselves forming cyber-fellowships
                with other poets, begin reveling in the reality that
        poetic communities are peopled with wonderful
folks whose homes are dotted all over
this planet, & are privileged to share rich
experiences vicariously through them;
        their fabulous words,
        their world views,
        their personal faith,
                               preferences,
                               pets,
                               spouses,
                               neighborhoods, &
                               fantasies.

I do adore so many of my fellow poets,
feeling strongly that we all are extended
family.                         One of the poets          I truly admire
       is a woman with such a zest for life         it permeates
       everything she does, thinks & writes,      but this is not
just a prairie pollyanna--no, her pragmatism is legendary.
                                   She once wrote, 
      There is no joy without the care that comes with pain.

Shakespeare did indeed scribble--
”get thee to a nunnery”--
this is not something just every
young girl would be willing or able
to do,                  but this woman spent 23 years
                           serving her faith
                           and her heart; becoming a nurse
                           within the Order.

                                          Later in her eventful life, she was an 
                        RN, specializing in hospice care, giving comfort
         to the dying, smiling in the face of death, removing its
mask, sharing that beyond pain & fear
death can be a glowing door, as gentle
as taking a loved one’s hand, or a warm
breeze blowing in off the high desert in
July, that death, much maligned, can be
a lovely way station, a focus point for divine
transition.                  Her own mother, now quite frail & mostly
                                  unfocused, has made appearances in
                                  several of her poems:
Yes, Mom, all is well. You can move on when you’re ready.

                                   My own mother-in-law turned 90 last July,
                              and we drove down to Texas to celebrate it
                          with her. Three days after we left, she let go of
                     her pain & slipped away--so this is a scenario that
                 has become all too familiar to many of us. 

This lovely & loving poet faced death herself in 1996, and only
a kidney transplant allowed her to live & write on. I think she has
the creative flare of a Virginia O’Keefe, yet the joyous cowgirl’s
heart of a Dale Evans. May her poetry, short stories & novels
continue, for those of us who celebrate her wondrous words and
her compassionate heart, years & years yet to come.

She has two dogs in
the yard, & once lived in France,
but still wears underpants.


Glenn Buttkus

19 comments:

brudberg said...

I truly love this... you went in and painted a great picture of a poet we all love to read. I know her in the same manner as you do... to give praise to a fellow poet this way is great, I hope we will see many good examples.

Victoria said...

Oh geez, Glenn. Damn. I have no words...yet.

lillianthehomepoet.wordpress.com said...

LOVE this! You've given a wondrful portrait here .... and yes indeed, having just joined dVerse last December, I've come to truly enjoy the company and talent here.
And I laughed at loud at the ending haiku :)
Bravo to you and to the wonderful poet you characterize here :) Happy I am to read this and to participate at the bar.

De Jackson said...

How beautiful, Glenn. I love this almost as much as love her, and her work.

Sanaa Rizvi said...

This is such a stunning write :D

Mon.Esprit said...

I have no children - so I write

This is such a powerful write and then you have handled the rich details perfectly, like always.

Anonymous said...

This is a brilliant picture of a remarkable woman. LOVE the end! :)

Matthew Henningsen said...

This is such a great poem. I admire the beautiful story of it, and the love. It's like you're talking to you from far off, speaking out. I loved reading this.

Pleasant Street said...

Anyone would be proud to know this was written for them.

Mary said...

You have described one of my very admired and favorite poets. I am amazed at the details you know, Glenn! She really is a remarkable person & writer!

PattiKen said...

Well, I thought I'd not be able to recognize anyone's mystery poet, but I do. Your words are as lovely as she is.

tonispencer said...

This is a most fitting tribute to an exceptional person and outstanding poet. To say hiw much I respect and admire this person is to not be able to say enough. Excellent work in this. Thank you.

Kim M. Russell said...

Being quite new to the dVerse Poets Pub community, I struggled with this prompt, but you have donned it like a magic cloak and flown. You've created a marvellous picture of a poet you 'secretly' admire. It blew me away!

vivinfrance said...

Glenn, you have honoured with sincerely admiring words one who we all love, one who lives2write. But the style is all you!
Bravo.

annell4 said...

I love this poet! Do I know her...not a bit...but still through your words I love her.

Anonymous said...

Glenn--un-miff! https://whimsygizmo.wordpress.com/2016/04/27/biblio-city/
I would have loved to do more of the masculine persuasion had I more time--check out all of De's. :0) And thank you.

Arcadia Maria said...

I like this a lot.

Unknown said...

A lovely portrait of words!

De Jackson said...

Glenn, I hope you get back 'round to see there was one written about you. ;)