Shen February 09 : Riverwalk

Following is an edited version of an article by faculty member Ellery Littleton which appeared originally in the summer ’07 issues of Shen, about the process of writing his new book of poetry Riverwalk – A Poem a Day for a Year. The book has now been published and is available from The Haven, at bookstores in Victoria (and elsewhere, eventually) and from the publisher on-line at www.trafford.com

“It was a challenging project, requiring tremendous discipline and dedication,” says Ian Curtin, one of our Come Alive program leaders, who heard many of the poems as they were written through the year. “The overall quality is remarkable, I think, considering that there are so many of them."

Ellery’s previous book of poetry, Old Rocks, New Streams – 64 Poems from the I Ching, was described in a review in Toronto’s Eye for the Future Magazine as “a rare treasure in the world of poetry.” The review also states that "the book glows softly with the clarity and depth of this ancient way of understanding. The poems are artfully structured and speak with haiku-like simplicity." Similar comments could be made about Ellery’s new book, Riverwalk. Here is the poem for Sept.19/07 from Riverwalk, subtitled “at a memoir writing workshop.”

September 19

Pens scratching,
long deep sighs,
flute playing
in quiet space.
The invisible
cloak of privacy
enfolds each person
descending deep
into the sacred
well of memory.

***

On my 65th birthday, I decided to write a poem a day for a year – a journal in poetry. I needed a project, and poetry being my favourite form of writing, it felt like a natural choice. As well, I wanted the discipline and commitment such a project requires.

So, on May 3/07, I wrote the first poem; on May 2/08, I wrote the last (366 in all, 2008 being a leap year). The year passed quickly, and I did, in fact manage to write a poem for every single day, although there were times when I felt I couldn’t possibly keep it up. It wasn’t until I had written over half the poems that I began to feel confident I might actually finish the project.

“I have never started a poem yet whose end I knew,” wrote Robert Frost. “Writing a poem is discovery.” Frost’s comment applies to each poem I wrote. I never really knew where the writing was leading me, or what to expect. I had to keep telling myself, “The journey is the thing; understanding will come later.”

Poems are elusive; I seldom had one in mind when I sat down to write. The best strategy for me, I discovered, was to simply wait as patiently as possible for an idea or a feeling to arise. I was surprised at how well this approach worked. I would also read other poets, usually Japanese, looking for inspiration, and allowed myself to write short poems from time to time, with the traditional Japanese haiku as the model. So much can be said in a short poem; three or four lines can effectively capture the mood of a day or the essence of an experience.

The process of looking for a poem subtly affected the way I would experience the day, and sharpened my perceptions. On occasion, I would wander around town, taking mental snapshots of places and events and people, looking for the memorable moment which could be transformed into a poem. At other times, something would trigger a memory, and I would reach far back into my life to find a poem waiting to be transcribed in present time. As well as being a journal, the book is also something of an autobiography; the past is very present throughout.

Through the year, I came to see that just below the level of daily awareness the magic realism of poetry flows along like a stream. I found that I could access it by consciously slowing down, breathing, paying attention, opening to myself – meditating, in essence. And I learned in a new way what the abiding concerns and themes of my life are, the elements of my “personal myth” (as Jung called it).

“The interaction with a particular poem becomes a rite of passage from one stage of awareness of self to another, with the poem as the facilitator or guide during the process,” writes the novelist Janet Rice. I found this observation to be true for me. The poems led the way; I followed along and did my best to write them down.

“Riverwalk” – the title of the book – is taken from the poem I wrote for June 25/07, after a walk along the Cowichan River, on Vancouver Island.