Try Reading a Poet's Collection of Poems

 

Today, I am reposting a 2017 book review of a collection of poems by Ronda Miller. Ronda is a Kansas poet whose work I much admire. Many poets publish books of their poems, often with a theme to the entire group. I have several poetry collection books like this. They can be read time and again, enjoyed with each new reading. 

The next time you are in a bookshop, hie yourself to the poetry section and spend some time browsing. Treat yourself to a purchase. Or spend a little time in the poetry section of your local library. Check our a few and immerse yourself into the world of the poet who produced the book. Check the online suggestions at the end of my review to purchase Ronda Miller's poetry book.

Here is my earlier review of "Water Signs" by Ronda Miller. The collection was published in 2017 but still popular today.

Ronda Miller's latest book of Poetry has recently been released. WaterSigns follows an earlier success titled Moonstain, a book I read multiple times and thoroughly enjoyed. So, I looked forward to swimming my way through WaterSigns, poem by poem. I was not disappointed. In fact, just the opposite.

In the foreword of the book, Ronda Miller says "...emotion flows like water," and I found it to also be true that her poems have a flowing trait to them. They move fluidly, line by line, bringing the reader much to digest and like. 

A mystery writer, Louise Penny, wrote a piece of dialogue spoken by a poet that I have thought of often. It came to me again when reading WaterSigns. The old poet in the book says "Poetry begins with a lump in the throat."  Many of Ronda Miller's poems must have begun that way. More than one brought a lump to the throat to this reader, as well. 

The book is divided into sections, each one headed by a very fine black and white photograph by Crystal Socha.  Sections are titled Aquifer, Confluence, Raindrops, Mirage and Reservoir. Each section is filled with poems about nature, people and life as seen through the eyes and memories of the poet. She intertwines the high plains of her childhood and memories with raw emotion. Her poems give a sense of place, are visual and filled with sensory details. They are sometimes touching, sometimes surprising but always from the poet's heart.

To conclude the foreword of her book, Ronda Miller says "I don't write poems, they right me." 

I especially liked a poem about her grandmother's glasses and one that shows Grandmother standing against the wind. In "Harvest," we see a hired man who is kind to children but has another side, as well. One titled "In Japan" made me laugh and "The One" wrought sympathy from me. Ronda Miller bares her soul in these and other poems. 

WaterSigns can be ordered from Meadowlark Books with free shipping through July 2017.  Or order WaterSigns at Amazon or Barnes and Noble. Kansas readers can find the book at The Raven Bookstore in Lawrence and at Ellen Plumb's City Bookstore in Emporia.

- July 16, 2017  

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Writing Your Trauma Without Too Much Drama--Part 3

Ronda Miller

Part 3 is the conclusion of my interview with Ronda Miller. 

Question 8:  Do you have any other thoughts about this kind of writing that we haven't covered?

Ronda:  I've learned a lot about my strengths, and that of other survivors, from telling my story and hearing theirs. Sharing helps us find ways to heal that we may not think of on our own.

People also ask questions which may lead to an entirely different process. We can get stuck with an idea, or opinion, about why an event occurred, or how we should respond to a traumatic event, then we find out there are a multitude of human condtions and reactions to them other than our own. It can be most enlightening.

I've been greatly rewarded, while sharing my story, to have someone thank me because they think it is an important topic of discussion or they experienced a similar trauma.

It can be important and helpful to ask permission of the family of a deceased loved one if you're writing about them. I have found it's also good to give yourself permission to write about a trauma.

 One of my sayings is: I don't write poetry, it 'rights' me.

Question 9:  You will be teaching a workshop on this subject in October. Where and When?

Ronda:  I'll be presenting this topic Sunday morning, October 15th at the State Kansas Authors Club Convention in Coffeyville, KS. The workshop is for the general public as well as writers of all ages and genres. 

Thank you, Ronda for some very interesting and pertinent information on writing about traumas in our life. If any reader has a question for Ronda, put it in the Comments section and I will forward it to her.

Here is a sample of the kind of writing Ronda has discussed with us. I can attest that she is a fine poet, who has two books of her poetry published. MoonStain and WaterSigns  She is working on a memoir titled Gun Memories Of A Stone-Eyed Cold Girl. 

MoonStain

Barn doors pushed shut

an indication something worth

investigating was within. It took

all my strength to open, slide

to close again. New birth

in pungent urgency led

me to the still born calf

quite warm. I nestled

in the hay beside it, placed

my arms around its neck.

I knew what death was, heard

whispers of my mother's

not long before. I could hear

the mother cow's loud bawling

from outside the back barn door.

I felt the spirit of the calf lift,

swirl around me, disappear. It

grew cold. I felt damp fear.

I sat in the caliginous stall

until my sister came, took

my hand, ran with me past

my grandmother's moonlit

garden of hollyhocks,

strawberries, rhubarb and iris,

past the spot where a rattlesnake

soaked up water from

a sprinkler one August day,

past the rotted elm

where fire ants swarmed

in balls before they

tumbled to the ground.

We opened the rusted

screen door and

tiptoed to bed,

where I lay crying,

because it felt so wondrous,

because it felt so good,

until the moonstain

no longer spread

across the floor.

Writing Your Trauma Without Too Much Drama--Part 2

Ronda Miller

Part 2 of my interview with Ronda Miller:

Question 5:  What benefits have you received writing about difficult times?

Ronda:  I've found that in some cases my perceptions, or story, changes over time. I've written and rewritten my mom's suicide in many poems (The Milky Way Woman, Mama Slam, What My Mother Didn't Teach Me I Learned From The Prairie, and Moonstain). I've written about the experience from the perspective of a 3 year old child, a child of 7, a teen, and as a mother with children of my own. It has been interesting to see the difference in my emotions and my understanding of what transpired.

Question 6:  Can keeping a journal be part of writing about trauma?

Ronda:  Yes. Trauma often presents itself in our dreams, awake and asleep. We don't often recognize a pattern unless it is recorded. I may ask myself aren't you dreaming that same dream often? Then I might second guess that I have. A journal helps me verify and if the dream repeats.

The actual process of writing something down  with pen/pencil and paper actually changes our brain waves. It also puts abstract thoughts into concrete form. They are tangible instead of floating in the subconscious or dream state. It's fascinating to see, over time, that we can and do make sense of what transpired, thereby learning a great deal about ourselves.

A great technique is to write the traumatic event from another viewpoint or medium, prose instead of poetry, or vice versa. I've written some traumas using second or third person narrative. Sometimes, it isn't as painful. Whatever the individual prefers. And if fiction is easier, do it that way. I've no doubt that many fine novelists or poets are writing from the emotion, if not the actual memory, of the event.

Question 7:  What can sharing our human experience do for us?

Ronda:  It allows us to be human! Sharing our life experiences gives others permission to share their own. I am a believer that none of us are so different or unique that we can not on some level understand what another human has experienced.

It has been pointed out to me that the exception may be if the person is mentally ill such as a sociopath.

Tomorrow Part 3 will be posted along with an example of a poem written by Ronda Miller.

Writing Your Trauma Without Too Much Drama--Part 1

Ronda Miller

Many, perhaps most of us, have experienced some type of trauma in our lifetime. Perhaps several times. Writing about what happened can be one of the steps to healing and learning to deal with what occurred. I'm very pleased to post an interview with Ronda Miller, Lifetime Coach and Poet, who lives in Lawrence, KS. Her answers should be of help to anyone who would like to write about a trauma, as well as of interest to other writers and readers. 

This is the first of three posts addressing the topic:

Question 1:  You have lived through multiple traumas, so you address this subject with first-hand knowledge. What prompted you to write about it?

Ronda:  I seem to have been writing about my personal traumas since my earliest days of writing in one form or another. I wrote a short story called "Gun Memories" in a Creative Writing class at KU decades ago. It was about a man I knew who sold me a gun just like the .22 pistol he owned. He eventually kidnapped a young woman, held her hostage for days and repeatedly raped her. He then killed himself. The story I wrote was based on that. I also wrote a short story about my father's homicide about that same time.

It was only 11 years ago that I started writing about my mother's suicide which occurred when I was three. That's when I began writing poetry and I found it unsettling that the poetry presented itself so forcefully. I didn't seem to have a lot of say in it; the poetry wrote itself.

Writing has been a great release for my personal experiences. When I wasn't emotionally ready to discuss what happened, I incorporated the incidents into my short stories. I think I hoped classmates and professors who read them would think it all pure fiction.

Question 2:  Where did you find the inspiration to write about difficult times in your life?

Ronda:  The short answer is 'from others.'

There is that inner voice of the creative spirit, where we try to make sense of horrific incidents, that begs to be released. For some it can become a destructive force. For others, it becomes a an expression of creativity in the form of poetry, dance, athletics, song, visual arts etc. For another, it might be cooking or nurturing.

I do know that going to other peoples' art presentations, whatever form that takes, gives me permission on a very deep level to talk about my experiences. It's great to be in the safety net of the humanities.

Question 3:  Do you think that writing about traumas in life can be a step in the healing process?

Ronda:  I know for myself it has been. I've seen what writing can and has done for fellow artists repeatedly. Trauma wants a voice. It generally finds it one way or another.

Children are given tools in which to act their trauma out through, crayons, paints, dolls etc. Adults need them, too. When we aren't given means to express what happened, emotions build like a pressure cooker. The explosion can be directed outward, but it's often directed internally, too. This can lead to self-harm like cutting, stealing, promiscuous behavior, drug and alcohol abuse, certainly suicide.

Question 4:  What guidelines would you give a person who wants to write about a trauma in their life?

Ronda:  I think it's helpful to make a list.of personal traumas--we all have several. Choose one of the lesser ones first. A trauma can be a move, a job loss, divorce, death, abuse, illness, an attack.

It's important not to judge our own trauma. Write it like you're telling a trusted stranger your story. A friend or family member may already know the story and have their own view of it. It's usually easier to be honest with a stranger. You don't have to worry about their emotions or perhaps their denial of the incident.

Don't judge yourself. Your feelings are real even though they may not have been validated in the past. Writing helps validate them.

Some traumatic experiences are scary to write alone, which is one reason I offer group writing classes.

Go to a safe place like a library or coffee shop, your home office or deck, wherever you won't feel afraid or overwhelmed with emotion. Start small. If you write one sentence the first time, that's a fantastic start. Don't force it. Let it tell you when it wants to be written. Honor how long it may take to put into words. This is not a race.

Come back tomorrow for more about this timely topic.  

Moon Stain--A Life Experience

                                                                    Ronda  Miller

"Poetry is our most natural connection between one another."  So says Ronda Miller, a poet who resides in Lawrence, KS. Ronda's poems ring with the bold truth of her life experiences.

Already published in many journals, Moon Stain is her second published book of poetry. She was raised in the High Plateau area of northwest Kansas on her grandparents farm. It was here that nature sowed the seeds to heal a troubled heart and where the poet in her was released.

Moon Stain is the title of her book and also the name of the first poem the reader is treated to. It is, I must admit, my favorite. There are many other fine poems but this one touched me when I first read it and does each time I read it again. A child whose mother has died experiences the pain of loss again when she finds a stillborn calf in a barn. The simple telling of how it affects her brought a lot of emotion to this reader.

Many of the poems reflect the healing balm of the Kansas prairie throughout the poet's lifetime. Others detail her lovers, substance abuse, birth, her family, even a very old coat--all the things that have made her the person she is today.

In Stone Eyed Cold Girl, the poet curses her mother for committing suicide and leaving her wounded for life. In The Year I Went Missing, she writes of what may have been a typical teen rebellion--she runs away and experiences life on her own. One of the final poems in the book is titled Meeting Noah, a description of a visit to the grave of a four day old infant with the baby's father. This one reached my heart as a mother who visits two such graves. The reader would not have had to experience such loss to be touched by this poem. It is so well written that anyone would feel the scene described.

The section titles all deal with the moon. Listed in order, they are Blood Moon, New Moon, Moon Shadows, Moonbeams, and Full Moon.

Ronda Miller's search for nurturing and love has led to difficult times in her life but it has also brought an awakening through her poetry. In her final poem in Moon Stain, Ronda Miller lets her readers know she has reached acceptance and peace in her life. This is a book to be read multiple times.

Moon Stain can be ordered at Meadowlark Books or Amazon or Barnes and Noble. 

Read the title/poem, Moon Stain, here. Reading it just might entice you to purchase the book.