APRIL
APRIL IS
APRIL IS NATIONAL POETRY MONTH AND MAINE'S COMMISSIONER OF THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION IS
ENCOURAGING EVERYONE TO TAKE4@
PART PENDER MACON SAYS EVEN
PEOPLE WITH BUSY SCHEDULES CAN
APPRECIATE4@ THE ART AND TO
ILLUSTRATE IT.
SHE HIGHLIGHTED A POEM FROM HER
EDNA ST. VINCENT MILLAY.
SHE WROTE4@ A POEM CALLED FIRST
BIG.
IT'S VERY SHORT.
HERE IT IS4@.
MY CANDLE BURNS AT BOTH ENDS.
IT WILL NOT LAST THE LIGHT BUT
ALL MY4@ FOES AND OH MY FRIENDS
IT GIVES A LOVELY LIGHT.
THAT4@ WAS HER POEM THE WHOLE
THING DONE NOW BECAUSE4@ IT WAS
SO BRIEF I THOUGHT MAYBE I
WOULD WRITE A QUICK RESPONSE
POEM4@ IN WHICH I TRIED TO MIRRR
THE RHYME AND RHYTHM PATTERNS
4@IN IN FIRST BIG AND AND HERE T
IS.
IT'S4@ MY LITTLE ODE TO EDNA ST.
VINCENT MILLAY.
TURNS OUT THAT LOVELY4@ LIGHT
SHINES4@ ON BECAUSE SHE GAVE IT
RHYME.
A POET NOT THE CANDLE4@ HOW THE
LIGHT THAT OUTLIVES TIME.
THAT WAS MICHAEL AND A GOOD
ONE.
RAIN HAS A LONG AND RICH
HISTORY OF POETRY.
HENRY WADSWORTH LONGFELLOW WAS
A LITERARY SENSATION IN HIS4@
TIME4@ AND HENRY DAVID THOREAU
TRAVELED TO MAINE FOR A WEEKS
LONG CANOE4@ TRIP THROUGH THE
WOODS WHICH STRENGTHENED HIS
IDEA THAT IDENTITY AND PLACE
ARE LINKED.
ALMOST EVERYTHING HE WROTE WAS4@
THIS KIND OF DUAL CONNECTION
BETWEEN4@ WHO ARE4@ WE AND WHERE
ARE YOU?
WHERE ARE WE?
YOU KNOW THIS SENSE OF IDENTITY
,OUR CONNECTION AND THE SENSE
OF PLACE AND HOW DO THOSE TWO
THINGS COME TOGETHER?
SEVERAL YEARS AGO A GROUP4@
CALLED MAINE WOODS DISCOVERY
RETRACED THE WRITER'S JOURNEY4@
NINE PADDLERS WENT UP MOOSEHEAD
TO NORTHEAST KERRY DOWN TO WEST
BRANCH TO WEBSTER STREAM AND
ACROSS THE EAST BRANCH THEN
DOWN TO THE PENOBSCOT TO INDIAN
ISLAND IN OLD TOWN4@ TRAVELING
MORE THAN THREE HUNDRED MILES
IN 16 DAYS4@ EACH NIGHT THEY
CAMPED ALONG THE WATER OFTEN
READING THOREAU'S WORDS. 4@
THE TRIP REVEALED SOMETHING
ABOUT HIM THAT YOU MAY NOT
EXPECT.
I'LL GO AHEAD AND GO ON RECORD
SAYING HE'S A BIT4@ TOUGHER THAN
I THOUGHT.
YOU KNOW, I WAS LIKE OH THOREAU
HE'S4@ POET.
HE'S A WRITER.
YOU KNOW HE LIKES THE WOODS.
THAT'S COOL.
BUT BEING ON THIS TRIP IT'S
IT'S PRETTY FUN.
THOREAU WOULD NOT HAVE MADE THE
TRIP WITHOUT THE HELP4@
OF PENOBSCOT GUIDE JOE POLLICE.
HE WASN'T A POET BUT DOWN4@ TO
MAGAZINE REPORTS THAT POLICE
REPRESENTED THE PEOPLE4@
OF INDIAN ISLAND IN WASHINGTON
AND AGUSTA AND HE FOUGHT TO
KEEP A GRAMMAR SCHOOL ON HIS
HOME ISLAND.
NOW SOME POETS COME TO MAINE
FOR INSPIRATION4@.
4@ SOME POETS LEAVE FROM MAINE TO
SHARE THEIR WORKS4@ WITH THE
WORLD.
SUCH WAS THE CASE OF RICHARD
BLANCO, THE POET FROM BETHEL
WHO SPOKE AT PRESIDENT OBAMA'S
FIRST INAUGURATION.
WE CAUGHT UP WITH HIM A FEW
MONTHS AGO AND FIND OUT FOUND
OUT HOW HE MANAGED TO KEEP HIS4@
NERVES AT SUCH A HISTORIC
OCCASION BUT REASONABLY
COMPOSED4@4@ I WOULD SAY A LITTE
NERVOUS.
I MEAN I DIDN'T MEAN WAS MADE
OF STEEL CERTAINLY4@.
BUT WHAT HAPPENS IN THE
INAUGURATION YOU FEEL THAT
THERE'S SOMETHING LARGER THAN
YOURSELF.
THERE'S SOMETHING REALLY
REVERENT ABOUT4@ IT.
TH4@ERE'S ALWAYS FIELDS4@ LIKE
AMERICA RENEWS ITS VOWS WITH
ITSELF ALMOST ALMOST4@4@ SACRED
MOMENT AND SO YOUR EGO GOES
AWAY A LITTLE BIT.
YOU REALIZE IT'S BIGGER THAN
ME.
IT'S4@ BIGGER THAN OBAMA, IT'S
BIGGER THAN EVEN BEYONCE,
BIGGER EVEN THAN BEYONCE.
THE INAUGURATION ISN'T THE ONLY
TIME BLANCO HAS SPOKEN AT A4@
STATE SPONSORED EVENT IN 2015
WHEN THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION
OPENED UP RELATIONS WITH CUBA4@
BLANCO, WHOSE PARENTS
IMMIGRATED FROM CUBA, WAS
INVITED TO SPEAK4@ AGAIN NO
MATTER WHAT ANTHEM WE SING,
WE'VE ALL WALKED BAREFOOT AND
THEIR SOUL AND WENT TO SOAR AND
DOVE OF SEAGULLS CRIES4@.
WE4@'VE OFFERED OUR SORROWS AND
HOPES UP TO THE SEA4@ OUR LIPS
ANOINTED BY THE SAME SPRAY
OF SALT AND4@ WIND4@ WHETHER HEE
OR THERE POETRY TAKES4@ WORK AND
THAT IS SOMETHING WEST MCNAIR
KNOWS WELL.
4@MAYBE THERE IS MAINE'S FOURTH
POET LAUREATE.
HE WAS RAISED IN VERMONT AND
NEW HAMPSHIRE AND HAS ALWAYS
WRITTEN POETRY MAKING THEIR
FIRST TURN TO EDUCATION BUT
MANAGED TO GET NATIONAL4@
ATTENTION AFTER THE THEN
CURRENT US POET LAUREATE GAVE
HIM A4@ FAVORABLE REVIEW4@.
BUT WHILE THAT GOT HIM
PUBLICITY, THE POETRY CAME FROM
YEARS OF PRACTICE, STUDY AND
HARD WORK.
IT ISN'T AS IF SUDDENLY THE
CLOUDS PART IN A RAY OF LIGHT
COMES AND ILLUMINATES YOUR PAN
AND GUIDES IT4@4@ FROM4@ THE TOP
OF THE PAG4@E TO THE BOTTOM AND
THEN YOU HAVE YOUR POEM BECAUSE@
POETRY I THINK DOESN'T COME
FROM THE OUTSIDE IN MY
EXPERIENCE ANYWAY IT COMES FROM
THE INSIDE THE POET LAUREATE4@ S
A FIVE YEAR POSITION IN THE
STATE DESIGNED TO RAISE
INTEREST AND