Poet Georgia Tiffany and the multitalented Ryan Lawconceived an unusual brain child in Endangered, a collaborative project of visual arts and poems by 30 participants. The poets and artists, all of whom live and work on the Palouse of eastern Washington and north-central Idaho, were asked to freely interpret the concept of being “endangered.” An exhibit of the resulting works opens on May 21st, 2015, at the Prichard Art Gallery under the auspices of the University of Idaho College of Art & Architecture. A reading and reception are scheduled for the 21st from 5 to 7 p.m. with music provided by John Paul Shields. The exhibit will remain open through June 6th.
Downtown Moscow, Idaho
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Poets and visual artists worked in pairs on Endangered, drawing inspiration from one another. Anesa Miller was assigned to work with the painting “Mexican Gray Wolf” by Jeanne Wallace. Anesa says, “It’s a remarkable portrait, just as one would see a commemorative likeness of a human face. I began to hear poetic rhythms the moment I saw this painting.” See this pairing of poem and artwork below.
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Listen to the poem Homo Sapiens Under Siege
by Anesa Miller (1 minute 16 seconds)
The wolf is at the door.
Keep your weapons near.
They’ll overrun
the land we love.
Our children shake with fear.
“Mexican Gray Wolf” by Jeanne Wallace
The wolf lurks just outside—!
They range around the yard.
We’ll know no peace
until they cease.
Be always on your guard.
Let’s take them from above,
from the safety of a plane!
We’ll lay them low
in fields of snow,
their fight and speed in vain.
Because—
They hound the innocents,
rapacious woodland gang.
The doe knows dread
till her throat runs red.
None can outpace the fang.
The wolf is on the prowl.
They howl beneath the moon.
They rip the sky
with yip and cry.
They’ll feast upon us soon!
Their hunger never ends.
They bound behind the sleigh.
Toss the baby overboard—!
to keep blood lust at bay.
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Click here for directions to the Prichard Art Gallery in Moscow, Idaho. Visit Endangered between the evening of May 21st, 2015, and June 6. Click here for hours.
With thanks for all recent messages of encouragement, I’d like to share a poem that was set to music by my dear friend Jane Click. Here is text, as well as audio, for “The Ladder of Words.” It addresses the writing process and the role that process can play in healing.
Looking back, my book of grief poems, A Road Beyond Loss, was an effort to capture the two essential motives that drive my writing overall: self-expression and communication. Maybe that sounds abstract or simplistic, but it makes sense to me. My need for self-expression is strongest when negative emotions overwhelm the mind. In a state of grief, those feelings can become so strong they threaten one’s identity, the foundation of mental health.
But the mind that speaks, or writes, can use language to reassert selfhood by expressing the inner pain. Language is a shared cultural medium, so the possibility of connecting with others is basic to most forms of verbal expression. Connection is only words away. I tried to convey those truths in this poem.
For a recent update, visit “New Cover for OUR ORBIT” with information on a forthcoming novel, Best Regional Fiction
“The Ladder of Words” music by Jane Click, poem by Anesa Miller; performed by Clyde Kunz (vocal) and Jane Click (piano).
The Ladder of Words
When the world came down upon me,
and the sky closed like a door,
sounds filled my ears from far away.
I lay down on the floor.
And no one near could find me,
and nothing near was mine.
I sank into the floorboards
from the voices soft and kind.
It seemed like days, eternity,
that I could not be reached,
from sight and sound withdrawn
like a whale beached out of water
and thrashing like a fish.
Until one thought got through to me,
one image filled my mind:
a pencil and a paper, lying
close to hand, nearby.
Somehow I took them up and traced
one word and then the next,
until they linked together
in a chain that first perplexed
the darkness in my eyes—
Then, rowing on my paper barque,
I soon was far away
and saw the water trail I’d left
rise up into a chain
—a ladder reaching high above
to light and sound and friends.
And that’s how I climbed out
of the grief that has no end.
This poem is in memory of Tiina Shilts-Panksepp who almost became my step-daughter. Many thanks to Jaak Panksepp for giving me the chance to self-publish my poetry collection, A Road Beyond Loss. Special thanks also to Jane Click who heard such beautiful music.
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