What, Why, How: Elaine Mcintosh

What:

I am currently working on a collection of poems I may submit for chapbook publication. I seem to have consistent themes in my writing: nature, family/neighbor/community, and grief/loss.

Why:   

Writing poetry enables me to live fully in the moment; feel it, smell it, hear it, see it. That moment may be in the past or in the present and finding the words to make that moment live again is what keeps me attentive to the writing on the page.

How:

I still don’t write every day. Rather I let the words settle and steep in my head until they seem ready to present themselves on the page. So maybe that’s every few days, or weeks. I read poetry and fiction voraciously to learn how others use their words to keep my interest, and touch my heart. I participate in a monthly Poetry group, where trusted colleagues review each others work, revise and react to it

The green dress

hidden in shadow
buried in my closet.
soft long sleeved velvet,
draped at my shoulder
swaying skirt to the floor
clinging gently to a body
which outgrew its silhouette
more than twenty years ago.
It is the only dress I ever bought
just because I loved it;
elegant,
simple–
two years after
my husband died
when I could not
remember
soft
or simple
or being wrapped
in anything
beautiful.

Bio:

Elaine is a retired nurse practitioner, working many years with underserved communities in Tennessee and in Michigan. She now  lives in the woods in northern Michigan and revels in the beauty of every season. She kept many lines of poetry stored in her head for years while working and raising children. Now, she has the time to unwind the spool of lines in her head.

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