[stylist] New Poem "Scenic Iowa"

[Lynda Lambert]

I found one of my poems, written in 1991 as I cross over Iowa. Sending it 
out for fun since we are talking about images of Iowa. Here is my "passing 
through" imagery written from my car in October 1991.

Iowa

Snow white farm houses
Gray rooftops over grayed fields
Dazzle with brilliance.

It’s a somber scene
Morning hills, soft gray-green
Subdued, without light.



-----Original Message----- 
From: Lynda Lambert
Sent: Monday, August 11, 2014 5:17 PM
To: Jacobson, Shawn D ; Writer's Division Mailing List
Subject: Re: [stylist] New Poem "Scenic Iowa"

Shawn, there are some really nice images in this poem and it becones "YOU"
to want to come there and stay awhile.  Our first encounter with the word
"you" is right in the middle of the poem - and comes as a surprsie as I read
it through a couple of times. It seems to separate what is not part of Iowa,
from what is there to be found in a quiet and introspective way. The things
that are most scenic about Iowa, it seems, are the things that are seldom
captured and put in the advertisements for the state or post cards to send
home if you are traveling through there.  I have only gone through Iowa
once, on my way to California. I wrote a poem about the experience and what
I encountered as a tourest passing through - I remember writimg in my car as
my husband drove.  I carried my journal with me all the way from PA to CA,
and I wrote my way across the country.  We were in my fancy little 300ZX
Nisson, the T-top out, and the sunshine flooding in from all around as I
wrote away the days on our trip.  I captured the images all along the way,
through all the states.  Yur poem brought many good memories of my quick
trip through Iowa and gave me the feeling like I would want to come back and
stay awhile and really see what is there.

Second, this poem reminds me of a project I always gave my Freshman Writing
class at the college.  We created a poem our of two lists we made.   I had
the students choose a topic they wanted to write about in their poem.  They
made TWO lists: one list was all the positives and one list was all the
negatives of their topic. Then, they siften through the two lists, and
pulled information from each of them - and combined those ideas into one
poem. They were very successful poems and this process always had good
results for the students. YOUR POEM  is very much like this. The only
difference is that you divided yours into two parts, and my students were
challenged with shuffling the ideas from the two lists throughout the entire
poem.  So, in this way, I agree with Barbara in that your poem is two
different "colors" -  you do give two different distinct feelings and they
are divided up very sharply when the word "YOU" inters the poem. I guess we
could continue to give that word "YOU" a lot more attention but I will just
stop here.  I think it gives a lot to think about though.  What was your
intention when "YOU" entered the poem?

Nice work, Shawn.  Lynda


-----Original Message----- 
From: Jacobson, Shawn D via stylist
Sent: Monday, August 11, 2014 8:13 AM
To: 'Writer's Division Mailing List (stylist at nfbnet.org)'
Subject: [stylist] New Poem "Scenic Iowa"

OK folks.
Here's another poem for anyone who wants to look at it.
I apologize for not getting to Jackie's poem, I'm either real busy (or it's
a slow day and I forget that the poems were sent.
Shawn
Scenic Iowa
by Shawn Jacobson
Scenic Iowa does not awe with mighty mountains
or roar with crashing ocean waves.
She does not amaze with stark desert vistas
crowned with wondrous red rocks,
nor does she dazzle with towering cityscapes
crowned with a myriad twinkling lights.
You are in your aunt's garden.  The daylily was inspired by father;
this bench is in honor of mother scenic Iowa appears.
For the sight of many living things comes together in new beauty
from the welter of things alive.
You walk central campus, Buildings new and old share the horizon.
Great trees stretch in evening's coolness.  Scenic Iowa appears.
For this place that time and adventure taught you to love
will not be yours much longer.  You will be gone.
Family and friends await you smiling.
You have come far to see this over the great dark highway
through cities, mountains and storms.
The time here is short, the future uncertain,
scenic Iowa is in the savoring of precious time.
Scenic Iowa is modest, chaste, reclusive
coming to those she knows as friend.
Her joys are unexpected arising at their own time.
She walks your soul with subtlety quiet and serene.
She walks with you seldom seen, but always there.

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