As far back into my
youth as I remember, I have enjoyed writing. I have sought to create
compositions which others would read and then offer in response accolade
regarding my creative and grammatical abilities and skills. I sought to be
known as a writer, identified and introduced in public as an accomplished
artist of well-spoken and enviably-written English.
Of course, I
discovered that fiction, the essay, the biography were far too lengthy and
complex a project to which I could submit my patience. And so, the poem seemed
a manageable pursuit. My earliest poems were of a simple-rhyme construction,
such as:
I seldom meet a girl so fair
As sunlight shines through morning air.
But on occasion as I do
They’re yet not fair quite so as you
I certainly do not
mean to insult simple rhyme. I have continued creating such rhyme for pleasure
and for mild distraction for myself and a possible reader. One such poem was
published in The Lyric during the early 1990s;
“Expired Coupon”
I found an expired coupon
There on the hallway floor.
I put it in my pocket,
But did not know what for.
Then later I discovered
A purpose that was fit.
I wrote this simple poem
Upon the back of it.
But I do confess
that these simple compositions grew to seem intellectually unsatisfying. And so
I began to explore other types of poetry.
Upon discovery of
William Carlos Williams, and specifically three of his poems, “Red
Wheelbarrow”, “Plums”, “Between Walls”, I gained a prolonged interest in
non-rhyme as an entertaining means of describing and celebrating reality. I
sought to imitate Williams, but the skill never developed. The proper
inspiration was debilitating by its absence.
Still, I tried with
“Penny”
By the yellow curb
in a pool of oil and rainwater
lies a Lincoln-head.
An old one for sure,
but nonetheless valued
by a barefoot boy of five.
He clutches it tightly
as a prize
he’s won the right to claim.
An English teacher commented
upon my returned paper “it fails to achieve Williams”.
The search for, and
successful use of words that flourish and garnish a sentence with grandiose
adornment has caused a sense of pride and achievement within me. Arranging a
sentence in fanciful, unexpected grammatical flow has tickled the literate
nerve within and prompted its expression without.
As I matured, I
discovered that poetry, fiction, and biography are not the only means by which
entertaining language can be delivered. Creativity can adorn even common speech
in ordinary settings.
As pastor of a
I enjoy composing birthday greetings. It takes
only a moment to spice up an ordinary sentence with an adjective, adverb, or
simile. And people are worth such wishes as “May
all the cosmic forces of beneficence conspire to create a day fulfilled beyond
your highest expectations.” Or, “As God’s
muse, you shall today inspire his creative impulse and make the world a better
place.”
I have become
satisfied that these everyday, ordinary language opportunities are sufficient
to fulfill my interest.
The most effective instrument
with which to write is the inspiration provided by the common, ordinary moments
of one’s life. A well-told story, a birthday greeting, a letter to a friend,
even an email can become a literary device by which one may flourish and
garnish a sentence or paragraph with grandiose adornment.
For me personally, the
ultimate instrument with which to write was presented as a Christmas gift to me
by my wife, Sherry Borglum on December 25, 2017. Sherry, observing how I make
notes, record observations on the backs of receipts, napkins, and other
ephemeral paper medium, gave me a “Fordite” ink-pen. As described by the
pen-creator, Bob Belz “ Fordite is a generic name given to accumulative paint
layers that were created from the over spray from various manufacturing
processes.”
Sherry knows I am
constantly making notes with pen. She knows how much I favor Ford vehicles. And
so this gift is quite unique and wonderful.
It shall provide much inspiration by which I may compose,
compile or otherwise create sermons, greetings or an exercise in
ego-satisfaction with sentences such as "Why settle for one perfectly
adequate word when a second superfluous synonym can decorate the sentence with
a charming grandiosity, however otherwise useless it may be?"
