I CAN DO IT IF YOU SHOW ME

Writing A Poem With Cathey Cone

It seems as if I’ve been exclaiming, “If you show me, I can do it” ever since I was a little girl. Recently, I asked my talented online friend Cathey Cone, “ Will you write a poem with me?” In other words, will you show me how? Cathey and I teamed up back in April of 2023 to write complementary blogs about how we met so I thought this new project could be fun.

Although I taught the fundamentals of poetry like rhyme, verse, meter, personification, metaphors, similes, alliteration, allusion, etc. for many years, I’ve never been able to create the beautiful imagery that Cathey does in her poetry. You see, I don’t form vivid, mental images in my head. If you ask me to visualize a cat, I will see either the word cat or a flat black silhouette of a cartoon-like animal. It was only after participating in one of Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor’s workshops last year that I saw an actual 3D face in color for the first time. I was so excited I wrote to Dr. Taylor and she explained, “Jan, your left brain thinks C A T and now that you are practicing meditation your right brain saw the face.” Really?

I was thrilled when Cathey — who I call The Encourager — was willing to give our poetry experiment a try. I didn’t tell her I was somewhat neuro-diverse in the field of imagery at that time. Ha! We agreed that I would send the first two lines to a poem, and she would add another two lines. Then we’d go back and forth that way until we thought the poem was done.

For some weird reason I thought we could write a poem about the color orange. Don’t ask me why??? I’m still laughing about that. I certainly didn’t have any idea where it could go. I just tried to come up with the “orangish” words I could think of. Ha! And like the first time I was contemplating publishing on Substack, I just sat there for awhile nervously looking at a new adventure waiting to happen. Finally, I remembered — I don’t have that much time to waste at my age so I hit SEND.

When Cathey replied with the beautifully crafted images of copper jewels, tawny branches and a curtain call, I was so enthused I set about researching what actually happens to trees in the fall and how I could compare that to a theatrical production — something with which I was familiar. Although we often messaged about other things during the time we were collaborating, Cathey and I never talked about a direction for our poem(s). We just let them unfold. Only an “Ok, the ball’s back in your court,” a “Hope I gave you something to work with,” and a few “Good Lucks” peppered our emails during the process.

I have to admit I had a whirlwind of emotions going on during the whole endeavor: mainly anxiety coupled with excitement. “Would the two lines I sent sound stupid?” “Is this poetic enough?” But now I’m feeling extremely proud and just a bit anxious to share our completed poems with you.

The warm hues of orange thread through the darker days of fall

While tangerine sunsets hide trees shedding their saffron robes.

No shame or fear of being exposed, tossing off their copper jewels,

Offering up bare tawny branches, sacrifices of season’s curtain call.

Terra cotta foliage blankets trunks full of storage

As winter winds whistle at the celebratory boughs.

The undressed limbs flirt with frigid frosty teases

Reaching for a fluffy white covering under which to slumber.

Resting, letting go, welcoming the dreams of renewal,

Bright green buds suddenly spring into unique possibilities.

The stage is set for newness and growth in shiny shades of green,

Redressing in delicate petticoats of chartreuse and shamrock

Propping up Gaia's alluring costume of Queen Anne's lace.

Solstice appears, songbirds whistle from their evergreen perch.

A summer coronation invites the flora to flaunt its summer swagger.

Abundant leaves wave a welcome in warm summer breezes.

After Blazing Stars embrace the magical Monarch’s return,

Equinox cues the fade to warm hues of amber and green.

Creation takes a bow as the seasons celebrate their performance

And make way on life’s stage for the encore yet to come.

Please, notice the little green reflection (or bud) on the tawny branch in the picture below — the one I took to go along with this blog. Do you think there’s a possibility God actually sends signs we CAN see?

It turns out we wrote two poems together. Surprisingly, both of them revealed our mutual belief that “Letting Go and Letting God” is essential to living a full life. We agreed that our short poem packed a big punch with only 25 words.

I'm scared

Afraid of the unknown

I’m frightened

Of ending up alone.

I'm sure

God has a plan

I’m trying

To trust what He began.

The cross on the roof at First Lutheran Church in Upper Sandusky

This was a wonderful writing experience for me. So inspiring. I knew it — “I can do it if you show me.” I hope you enjoyed our poems and you’ll check out Cathey’s description of our collaboration in her blog, Footnotes from the Flipside. I’m looking forward to reading it later today too. Click the link to find her page. You’ll definitely want to Subscribe to Cathey’s blog if you haven’t already.

By the way, this joint adventure encouraged me to join the Aphantasia Network where I will be participating in research with others who can’t see mental pictures. I’m looking forward to sharing some of that information with you in the future.

But for now, I know one thing for sure — if you have a special friend like Cathey Cone,

It’ll Be OK.

~~~

“A true friend is someone who thinks you’re a good egg, but knows you’re slightly cracked.” ~ Bernard Meltzer

QUESTION: Do you write poetry? What is your biggest challenge?