An Ode to Indiana

When the Wind Stops

Indiana - clear and blue, with a stiff breeze blowing.

Yes, Indiana it is. Then - the sun goes behind a cloud,

the wind stops, and all is suddenly quiet -

quiet enough to hear, not see, the mourning dove

cooing as softly as breathing

in the middle of the day.

Now, in the windless quiet,

the bright voices of wrens and cardinals

trilling

the sounds of trucks, a train

the heady smell of lilacs

and potent, yet tiny, lily-of-the-valley

a poet writing in a bathing suit.

The sun is coming out again

And with it the wind, heated, blows the trees

The movement in the trees is what is actually heard, not the wind itself

a rustling, then a roaring as the

trunks twist and the leaves feather

like fingers

Still again.

Then wind chimes

like a dinner bell

a motorcycle

a single whistle tweet

a chirrup, a cluck

in reply

another truck rattling on the bridge

and then silence.

- SLG

Authors' note: This poem wasn't composed sitting at the computer screen. I write all my poems in long hand, often on the back of previously used paper. This one I started on the back of a hand-out from the kids' school, and I had folded this page down to quarter sections so as to not be looking at a big blank page.

For me and poetry, I have to get away from distractions, such as children talking to me or television or whatever - quiet moments in the morning, perhaps, and I kind of get into a quiet, meditative state to open the channel. I don't try to 'force' some kind of poem out, just to write one. There has to be just a feeling, a vague idea, a random thought from which I can build. Sometimes I write the whole thing in a few minutes, and sometimes I'll put it down and work on it over days.

I also believe reading a lot helps. And just the practice of writing. It's a craft that must be honed, and the more one writes the more natural writing is, like playing the piano or something similar.

Facebook and the new forms of media will help a lot more people sharpen their skills at writing, and we can self-publish much more easily than we used to be able to - all of this is good. Change in technology will be a constant, so you've got to stay upright on that surfboard, but good writers and good talent are ageless and timeless.

I woke up scattered and senseless, trying to get people organized for the day and all their belongings together, but now after concentrating on this I am focused and calmer. There is a skill to channeling those racing thoughts and doubts - be it can be done. Peace be with you.