Nancy Bo Flood regularly shares her poetry with The Sopris Sun, which is published on its Works in Progress page, a weekly section that highlights community creativity. From sketches to short stories, Works in Progress contributions have run the gambit since the page’s inception three years ago. Flip to this week’s feature by Nancy’s husband, Bill, on page 17.
“Look! My poem is printed in The Sopris Sun.”
The author might be 7 or 77, it doesn’t matter. Seeing your words in print for others to read is a wonderful rush of excitement that comes with a big happy grin. It feels so good to share your thoughts. “I wrote that.”
It’s more than making your thoughts public, it’s reaching out, connecting, sharing stories — maybe an experience of wonder, or perhaps one of pain. Sharing words in print creates a strong invisible glue of connection between reader and writer, the basis of community building.
Words break boundaries. We hear and feel the joy or the sorrow of another person, perhaps someone we would otherwise never know. Without it, we may feel all alone, never imagining that we could share a common experience or thought with someone else — similar worries or fears, or shared visions of a better world.
Words break the boundaries of isolation. When I read the poetry of Mary Oliver, I often think she has expressed clearly how I feel… When my dog dies, when another shooting happens, when spring changes a wild place into a bouquet of hope.
Doing life is often hard. Not just for me, but for each and every one of us. Poetry distills. Poetry shared in print connects, offers hope, causes sighs, laughter, smiles.
Our past president, John F. Kennedy, who was tragically assassinated, said, “When power leads man toward arrogance, poetry reminds him of his limitations. When power narrows the area of man’s concern, poetry reminds him of the richness and diversity of his existence. When power corrupts, poetry cleanses” (1963). What if those words had never been shared in print?
Writing our thoughts, capturing in words the fears that haunt us in the night or the joys that give us courage to step into a new day, is one way we can reach out to one another.
Even if the reader and the writer never meet face to face, their hearts meet.
In closing, I again share words from John F. Kennedy: “If more politicians knew poetry, and more poets knew politics, the world would be a better place” (1963).
Poetry in print connects us, pierces barriers and creates community. But only if we dare to put our words in print.
To support The Sopris Sun and help ensure the continuation of Works in Progress for three more years and beyond, make a donation at www.soprissun.com/donate
And don’t forget to share your creative works with fiction@soprissun.com for publication in your local nonprofit newspaper.