Poetry: Introduction

POEM LIST

I wrote my first poem at the age of about six. It was published, with minor editorial changes, in the children’s magazine Wee Wisdom. Except for one other juvenile effort that I can’t remember if I ever finished and a poem inspired by a biology test, I wrote no more poetry for more than thirty years. I don’t know why I broke that streak, but I have been writing poems ever since—not frequently, but regularly.

Shakespeare bust I don’t know whether I deserve to call myself a poet, and I’m sure that most of my school or professional friends would be surprised at my writing poetry at all. Even I am surprised. I’m neither an avid reader of poetry nor a great lover of it generally.

I am fond of a number of poems, mostly ones that I’ve run into by accident or have been forced to read in school—“Paul Revere’s Ride” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, “The Tyger” by William Blake, “L’Allegro” and “Il Penseroso” by John Milton, “John Brown’s Body” by Stephen Vincent Benét, “The Walrus and the Carpenter” by Lewis Carroll, various hymn texts, and just about anything by Ogden Nash. Ogden Nash is probably the only poet I’ve read systematically. I wish I had whatever Nash did that allowed him to turn out the kind of amusing and surprising poems that were his hallmark!

My poetry is as diverse as my taste. Some poems are funny; others are quite serious. They deal with myriad subjects. Many of my poems are, if not autobiographical, at least inspired by my experience. These include “Frustration,” “Basketball,” “The Conversation,” and “Voyage of the Heart.” Many other poems are inspired by current events (“11 September 2001,” “Airplanes II,” “Pennsylvania Primary,” and “Second Inauguration”). More than a few poems have grown out of my work in The Episcopal Church (“Christian Unity,” “Authorities,” and “Waiting for the Lambeth Commission Report”). A handful of poems are written from a woman’s point of view ( “Be,” “Pick Me,” and “Where Were You?”). Lately, Donald Trump has been an inspiration (“Trump Haiku” and “The Donald Goes Rolling Along.”)

Probably because of my mathematical background, I like to play with structure. This explains the haiku (“Haiku Meditations on the Church Year,” “More Haiku,” “Columbia Homecoming”) and rhyme-scheme experiments like “Sunday Afternoon” and “Thanksgiving.” Some of my poems dispense with rhyme and regular meter. Although I don’t always feel comfortable writing such poetry—is it really poetry?—I do like poems such as my “Apple Tree” and “It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas.”

Despite the diversity, however, my poetry remains largely concrete and rational—it is inspired by my experience, observation, and reflection, rather than by my emotional state or by free association. This is not to say that my poetry is devoid of emotional content, but it tends to avoid the solipsistic, self-indulgent, and obscure. I seek, if not universality, at least relevance to others. On the other hand, if you’re looking for inspired imagery, I may not be the poet you want to be reading.

Because I really want people to understand my poems, each poem represented here is accompanied by an explanation. My annotations explain how the poem came to be, problems I had writing it, and what some of the less obvious references are. (My annotations are actually there to remind me of the poem’s provenance as much as anything.) I leave it to others to decide if I’m obsessive with explaining myself. (See “A Critique of Modern Poetry” for further discussion on my attitude toward poetry.)

As with children, it’s hard to pick favorite poems. I am especially pleased with “Musashi’s Odyssey” and “The Quecreek Mine Disaster,” and “Metro-North Accident, Valhalla, New York, February 3, 2015,”each of which tells a real-life story. I very much like “It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas,” which achieves what is, for me, rare intensity. More modest efforts with which I am especially pleased include “Reciprocity,” “2001,” and “Labor Day Lament.”

It has been fun writing poetry about items in the news and events in The Episcopal Church and Anglican Communion. Some of my favorites are “Airplanes II,” “Waiting for the Lambeth Commission Report,” “Accokeek,” and “Second Inauguration.” I have also enjoyed writing what some might classify as devotional poetry. This group includes “Haiku Meditations on the Church Year” and “That They All May Be One.”

I have also written a number of hymns, and, for some of them, I have written original music as well. (My hymns are cross-listed in the Church Resources section but are actually included under Poetry.) My hymn list now includes “O Lord the Invisible,” “Authorities,” “Heavens and Earth, All of Creation,” and “Holy Eucharist.” I am especially pleased with “Authorities” and “Holy Eucharist,” which fill particular niches in Episcopal Church liturgical resources. Please write to me if you would like to use any of these hymns.

I have also written a few of songs. I have not worked out music very well for “Where Were You?” but “Out of Many, One,” which was written for a contest to find a new national anthem, consists of words and music with which I am reasonably satisfied. “Realign with Me” is a parody about church politics, and the aforementioned “The Donald Goes Rolling Along” skewers our 45th president.

I have avoided classifying my poems here, partly because so many incompatible organizations are possible. I apologize if this seems unhelpful and forces you to read poems with little warning of what you might find. I hope you have some pleasant surprises. Find your own favorites and let me know what they are and why. The poems occur in chronological order, which allows you to see my development or degeneration as a poet.

I have also included an untitled poem by my son August. He is not a frequent writer of poetry, but he does a great job performing this particular work. We have shared many useful conversations about the craft of writing poetry.

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Send mail to Lionel Deimel with questions or comments about Lionel Deimel’s Farrago. Copyright © 2000-2019 by Lionel Deimel. All rights reserved.

Send mail to Lionel Deimel with questions or comments about Lionel Deimel’s Farrago.
Copyright © 2000-2019 by Lionel Deimel. All rights reserved.