The Columbia Press
April 16, 2021
7
ZED by Duane M. Abel
www.corkeycomics.com
Senior Moments
with Emma Edwards
Ode to lost arts and poetry
Sometimes, a thought pops
into my head and gets kind of
stuck.
I have never really knitted,
aside from the basic “knit two,
pearl two,” but admire those
who do. I especially admire
the creativity of those who can
crochet, especially those able
to crochet lace along the edge
of a pillowcase.
I also admire those who can
make doilies. Some of us may
remember doilies with circles
of fluff and how we used to
soak them in sugar water to
make them dry with each fluff
in place.
Remember, in “the olden
days” we did not have Am-
azon or any of what we now
refer to as box stores. We did
not even have gift cards.
So, when we were in need
of a gift, we often got out the
sewing machine (treadle of
course), knitting needles, or
crochet hooks.
That reminds me of a poem I
ran across from a 1985 newsy
little column. I have searched
for and cannot find “Tying the
Knot” by Patricia O’Grady.
Sadly, the last word in some of
the longer sentences were cut
off when it was reproduced.
The first line is missing the
ending. It starts with “I mar-
veled how Grandma’s hands
____” followed with the next
line “ ___ the large ball of
string with a hook.” The last
three lines of the second verse
end with “There’s no need
for tears When life’s snarls
appear, Knotted thread will
make lace, if we ________.”
I have found many women
with that author’s name, but
so far have not located the
poem. Help? Thank you!
Recently, I’ve been sorting
and sorting and sorting pic-
tures, dishes, knickknacks,
linens, clothes, and on and
on and on. That’s how I found
the poem that’s plaguing me.
Well, as if by divine design, I
was sent a meaningful (to me)
reading this morning. I tried
to locate the writer or source,
but to no avail. I will share it
anyway.
“The truth is that all of the
stuff here on earth that we
work so hard to buy and accu-
mulate does not mean a thing.
At the end of the day, people
will be cleaning out our stuff,
going through our stuff, fig-
uring out what to do with all
of our stuff -- this stuff we’ve
accumulated in our life.
The only thing of value that
remains are the memories and
what we deposit into others.
May we all learn to spend
less time accumulating stuff
and spend way more time
making memories.”
That’s so powerful! I need to
remember that each day!
In summary, a wise man
shared four areas to down-
size to create a more simple
life: your stuff, your schedule,
your expectations, and your
negative thoughts.
And, yes, it’s a good idea to
start now.
Off the Shelf
by Kelly Knudsen
Library can help you tap into your inner bard
“Poetry is a deal of joy and
pain and wonder, with a dash
of the dictionary.” ~Khalil Gi-
bran
As April blows in, it’s time
to acknowledge an artistic,
fun and favorite genre of lit-
erature: poetry!
It’s National Poetry Month
and Warrenton Community
Library (WCL) is celebrat-
ing. We all can connect with
poetry if we try. It is a part
of our lives throughout the
year -- songs are poems set
to music and dance is poetry
expressed physically.
Most people start out their
lives hearing and enjoying
poetry and don’t even real-
ize it. Parents and caregivers
read stories and poems in
verse to kids to teach about
language or they sing nursery
rhymes before bed to soothe
their hearts and minds. Lis-
tening to and reading poetry
Special columns in The Columbia Press
Every week: Senior Moments with Emma Edwards
Week 1: Financial Focus with Adam Miller
Week 2: Here’s to Your Health from CMH
Week 3: Off the Shelf by Kelly Knudsen
Final week: Mayor’s Message by Henry Balensifer
helps children practice read-
ing aloud with expression,
learn new words and exposes
them to rhyming.
As we get older, poetry be-
comes somewhat confusing
or misunderstood, as readers
must wade through all types
of figures of speech, such as
hyperbole, irony, metaphor,
or simile to gather the mes-
sage of the poem. But poetry
is a vital art form in our world
and life. It can help us to see,
feel, hear, touch, smell and
appreciate the world around
us, without going anywhere.
Poetry offers a diverse per-
spective we may not other-
wise experience.
All month at WCL, we are
celebrating poetry with some
passive programming includ-
ing Found Poems for children
and Blackout Poetry for ju-
niors, teens, and adults. Pas-
sive programming means ac-
tivities which do not require
staff direction -- we leave the
instructions and supplies at a
table for patrons to enjoy.
Found Poetry, often de-
scribed as the literary equiv-
alent of a collage, is when
you take existing words,
phrases or passages and re-
frame them to create poetry.
Found Poetry helps children
play with words and express
themselves.
Blackout Poetry (or Redact-
ed Poetry), stems from found
poetry and is characterized
by the use of a marker (usu-
ally black marker) to exist-
ing text (e.g. pages from a
discarded book) and redacts
words until a blackout poem
is formed.
Stop by the library this
month, “find” a poem and tap
into your inner bard!
I leave you with a poem in
this month of celebrating poet-
ry. What does it mean to you?
Invisible fish swim this
ghost ocean now described
by waves of sand, by wa-
ter-worn rock.
Soon the fish will learn
to walk. Then humans will
come ashore and paint
dreams on the dying stone.
Then later, much later, the
ocean floor will be punctuat-
ed by Chevy trucks, carrying
the dreamers’ descendants,
who are going to the store.
“Invisible Fish” from “Se-
crets From the Center of
the World” by Joy Harjo,
copyright 1989, The Arizona
Board of Regents.
Kelly Knudsen is director
of Warrenton Community
Library. She has a master’s
degree in library and infor-
mation science.