Words from a Reader

The “Writing Life Stories” e-mails I receive are such treasures. As soon as I see there is one in my inbox, I read it immediately. I look forward to them and never know how they will touch me. They can be interesting, informative, humorous, and/or touching.

Wednesday, July 13, 2016

In the Dark, a poem from Now Might as Well be Then

Recently  while reading some of my poetry at the tour of gardens in Hayesville, I was asked to read this poem from my book, Now Might as Well be Then, published by Finishing  Line Press in 2009.


In The Dark
by Glenda Beall

I lie here in bed, my cheek against your shoulder,
remembering a night, long ago, on your boat.
I was afraid.  I felt too much, too fast.
But you were tender, and love crept over us
like silver fog, silent on the lake.
We were never again the same.

We stepped like children through that door that led
to long passages unknown, holding hands, wide-eyed, but brave.
Here I am years later, listening to your soft breath
and feeling your warm smooth skin.
In the dark, now might as well be then.


The title of the book comes from the last line in this poem. Many poets stress out over trying to find the perfect title for their poetry books. I did. Every title I thought of was unmemorable. It was Nancy Simpson, well-known and highly published poet, who chose the title for me.

Recently in our weekly poetry class, we studied famous poet, Theodore Roethke. His  first book was called Open House and the title was suggested to him by another poet, Stanley Kunitz. This is  yet another reason to surround yourself with writers and poets if you are a writer or a poet. 

We often see something in another person's work that they don't see. Writing is done in isolation, but we need community and that is why I  urge my students to join writing groups, attend writing events and make friends with other writers. 

5 comments:

  1. A very beautiful poem. Thank you so much for sharing it with me. :-)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Glenda, I love the imagery in this poem, the way it evokes the memory of that time with your husband. I know what you mean about agonizing over a title. It's hard to find just the right title for a poetry collection, isn't it?

    ReplyDelete
  3. Lovely poem Glenda! Thank you for sharing and I'll be on the lookout for you new book, I'll bet City Lights has it. Hope all is well with you :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hi Lise. So good to hear from you. City Lights has my poetry book, Now Might as Well be Then.
    Hope all is well with you.


    ReplyDelete
  5. Djan, thanks. Glad you liked the poem.

    ReplyDelete

I really appreciate your comments, and I love reading what you say.