Advanced Look: New Book
After publishing my debut novel, a business and military thriller, “Dangerous Dreams,” and having finished my debut science fiction novel, “Sanctuary 2.0,” available worldwide in about a month (Kindle), I’m launching myself in yet another direction: poetry.
Before you jump to any hasty foregone conclusions, as an author, I find this a delightful diversion, and I believe my unique voice may create an equally delightful diversion for most readers as well. I’ve been writing poetry for forty-five years, and my first book will be an anthology of my best work: to be seen in this book for the first time.
Below is an excerpt of that book from which I’d appreciate some feedback. The form of this particular piece is considered experimental; although, the book, who’s working title is “Narrow Painted Roads”, will also feature various other forms of verse, including classical, lyrical and narrative.
Really? Another book of poetry? Does the world need another one of those?
Well, dear readers, have hope. I’m trying to bring a new slant to a time-honored topic.
Most books on poetry are a tough read by a limited audience, maybe not even something many readers would consider taking on. I’m trying to change that. And I dare you personally to read this entire article before you decide for yourself.
No doubt, poetry is a different and more advanced read than, say, a pulp mystery or romance. I think I’m a fair poet, and I think with a couple of twists, I can put together an interesting book for most avid readers. Here’s what I mean…
First, poetry can be hard to “get”, especially if it’s any more sophisticated than simple limericks (as in most greeting cards) or doggerel that isn’t necessarily bad, but perhaps, just, well, simple (“there once was a man from Nantucket…”). Toward that end, I plan on introducing this new book with a light and whimsical chapter called “A Fresh Coat of Primer” so the reader does not feel like someone who tries to watch basketball without knowing what to look for. By the way, I hate basketball, maybe for just that reason.
Second, as you may know, good poetry, by design, leaves a great deal for the motivated reader to fill in lots of gaps with imagination and mental imagery. That is powerful stuff. I know as a reader of poems, after sorting out my own response to a piece, while that’s enjoyable, I’ve learned it is so valuable to also know what the poet was thinking when the piece was written. So after each composition, I include my own analysis of the piece, why I wrote it, and maybe how it evolved from concept to finished composition, including subtleties that may not readily pop into the reader’s mind. In this way, along with always inviting you to comment, you’re able to appreciate and share insights with this author.
Finally, this is a little book with big messages. I believe this will also broaden its appeal.
Below, excerpted from the new book, is an example of one of my poems and its associated “Poet’s Notes”. I’ll preface each piece with a bit of “Author’s Advice” unique to each poem. I also plan to introduce each poem with one of my original images.
So here we go… let me know what you think. Please.
Author’s Advice: Upon reading this poem the first time through, written in a style known as “experimental free verse”, I suggest you push through it rather rapidly without thinking too much about it. Then read it again after perusing my notes that follow the piece. Does it make you wonder? Did you feel something? Remember, not all poems rhyme, as in life, nor should they. Besides, “free verse” is more fun to write, sometimes to read, always less contrived, and more “organic”.
Be the Bus
(an excerpt from the new GK Jurrens book of poetry, “Narrow Painted Roads”, available 2018)
We move. Every few weeks. Our home too.
We choose. Where we live. A few years now.
It’s a thing. There’s a road. Unexplored. We turn right. We seize it.
We chose the bus. It now defines us. We know each other. Well.
We choose. Life is simple. Little doubt. Until…
Essential. Organized. Every cubic inch. All of use. Twice. At least.
See in the dark. At 4 AM. Reach for a brush. It’s here. The coffee pot…
Every step. All here. No politics. No dank tanks. But love. Lots of it.
We plan. Then drive. Then stop. Then live. Each day plucked. Crafted.
Take pictures. Find a gym. A meeting. Hike. Write. Find a market. Dump.
So many people in their own. We intersect. Trade stories. Maybe chuckle.
Endless road. Holy or satin? Grateful. The bus knows us. We know the bus.
We love. In a few. Tricky square feet. Made simple. We make it. Own it.
The bus forgives. In return for much. Always here. Always there.
Memories cluster. Like families. Sweet-silk lavender. Sandpaper.
Each day’s lyrics. First draft. Some too loud. Writing down. Cook pasta.
We move. Inspired. The bus? Home. Always more. We want more.
All within reach. It works. Deadbolt in the door? Locks out the worst. Boredom.
Same destination. More than once. Seldom. Accidental? Unless…
We’re just home. Anywhere. Everywhere. Hello. We’re your new neighbors.
We wander. The bus lets us. Drinks diesel. We drink nectar. Fair fare.
Social stuff. We choose. Every day new. Same. But different. Lyrical.
Little left to chance. Every day’s wild card. Same melody. Different verse.
Nice ear worm. Practicing. Better. Write it down. Maybe publish. Maybe not.
We routine. Each day surprises. Crave rhythm. Still human.
Where we stop. Home again. Fresh again. We celebrate.
We are free verse. Might not rhyme. No matter. No rhyme better.
Only more. Makes more days thicker. Taller. Creamier.
We drift. The bus anchors in park. Or we’d drag. Need our nest fluff. With us.
Hike deserts. Climb mountains. Float coasts. Meditate. Take pictures. Write.
We ride prairies. More to see. More to feel. Open windows. Rocks.
Dry dusty grass. Sharp salty air. Dead fish beached. Whales roll. Waves jump.
We seek. Obscurity hides. Looking helps. Both eyes. We see smiles. Make them.
Off grid. Sanctuary. Thoreau. Too much. Not enough. Maybe. Of what? Next?
Days. Should not. Be too easy. Deep or shallow? Not sure. Why?
Unasked questions. Unspoken joy. The bus knows. Trust. Maybe faith.
We wonder. Leave the bus. Behind? Not an option. Frightening. Time trudges. Fleeting.
Common denominator. Countless equations. Some solved. Most balanced. Here. Now.
Been here. Too long. Too much. Thinking. Too… Time to move.
Lets go… We’re arrived. We hear. We choose lyrics. Write a new verse. We smile.
Poet’s Notes:
- Inspirational Venue: In bed, in the bus, listening to I-90 traffic noise 100 yards away from an RV park in Issaquah, Washington at 4 am. Inspired by road noise? Uh-huh.
- Form: lyrical
- Foot & Meter: free verse. experimental
- Stanzas: ten quatrains
- Rhyme pattern: n/a
- Substitutions: n/a
- Composed: July 31, 2018
- On my mind:
- A brief introspective of the full-time RV lifestyle we’ve chosen
- We’re living our lives in bite-size pieces, ever-changing, always inspiring, sometimes frustrating
- I wanted to compose an experimental piece, the diction representing our staccato lifestyle.
- What does our future hold? Time passes fast. Soon I’ll be seventy years old. But we already know that nothing lasts. Nothing. That’s why we know it is so important to suck the sweet and bitter juice out of every single day with pickled relish.
- Themes: moving and choosing and wondering and memories running together in no clear order. Represents our simple but highly integrated way of conducting each day “aboard” our beloved motorhome. Simplicity itself of “questa vita” represented in short, unadorned sentences (no commas, no semicolons, etc.). Note that the only punctuation is a few question marks and apostrophes, the ellipsis (3 dots) used sparingly and the period. Lots of them. Period. Likewise, little attention is paid to the meticulous use of tense. Raw, unpretentious.
- Symbols: Strong presence of “We” (me and my co-dependent soul mate of 50 years), the bus (personified as our friend and life partner, the third member of our ménage à trois), choices available and necessary (more than most), movement (constant), seeking (what? certainly not just a destination), finding & seeking (what? obscurity? new friends? neither are in short supply), a style of living implying great degrees of freedom & control (to choose! everything!)
Thanks for breaking on through to the other (this) side.
Yours, with pen in hand,
Gene
