[stylist] Appreciation of Barbara Hammel, poet and friend

[Bill Outman]

Hello, Barbara.  

 

I've admired you from afar on the writers division list and wanted to share
my appreciation for some of your writing over the years with you and the
list membership.  

 

Your name is easy for me to remember, as it is similar to a pitcher on the
baseball team I follow, the Cubs, namely Jason Hammel.  I also appreciate
the tag line you have used about poetry that quotes Carl Sandburg.  As a
native of Illinois I can relate to his place in American culture.  

 

I was going through a stack of old posts and found some poems of yours of
particular interest.  I saved them to Word files for my enjoyment and
reference.  

 

The first one I want to comment on is The Rainbow's Child.  Though I am
totally blind now, I once had enough vision to appreciate the rainbow colors
and understand the life aspects you have assigned to them.  The matches you
chose are most appropriate, even though one might argue for other
associations.  

 

I am reminded by the bottom purple color for depression that in order to
have a rainbow one must have rain, which can be both a cause and symbol of
depression and also of the tears you associated with blue as well.  It is at
these times we most especially want the love of God near us the most.  

 

I found that this poem was putting me in deeper touch with my emotions.  It
reached the point that I designed an idea for a tactile rainbow scene that
would have varying textures of material in appropriate colors.  It is
something I hope to bring into physical reality at some point.  

 

There are more of your works I will comment on later.  They combine in a way
that informs me that you are someone of special character whom I would like
to come to know as a good friend.  

 

Thank you and God bless you.  

 

Bill Outman 

Daytona Beach, Florida 

 

 

 



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