WARNING: CONTAINS POETRY
As National Poetry Month was coming to a close on Thursday, I found myself thinking I should tell both established and aspiring poets out there about a unique distribution / publishing technique I’ve used for years.
I enclose one of my poems in every bill or piece of correspondence I mail out.
A couple of weeks back it was to Kansas Income Tax and the U.S. Treasury. Along with the checks, I sent two poems.
I also drew a caricature on the outside of the envelopes with the words: WARNING – CONTAINS POETRY to pique the recipients’ interest and make sure they don’t overlook the chance to read my verse in their haste to deposit my check in support of the government.
Which brings to mind the whole idea … in many ways a heartbreaking one … of sending money to the state and federal government when much of what they’re spending it on leaves a bad taste in my mouth. But that’s a fish of a different color.
What poems did I send?
One was, “I'm the guy pouring water into the radiator of an old, rusted Chrysler next to the criminal court building, the hood propped open by a two by four, the trunk gaping with all my possessions, happy not to be homeless. Glad to be alive.”
The opener of the envelope might think, “This guy sounds like the kind of bum who’s getting the welfare I’m paying for with my taxes.”
Or, “Gee, this poor soul sounds like he’s looking over the edge of things … but happy. Maybe I need to be more grateful … glad to be alive.” Or, “I wonder if he was there to appear in court. If so, was it a criminal proceeding — or was he trying to get some justice in small claims?”
Also, since Mother’s Day is just around the corner, I enclosed this one I wrote for Linda in 2024:
“Today, Mother’s Day, I invite you to devour life like the red, red apple I stole from the desk of Sister Beatrice while she was grading religion tests.
“And neglect all the thousand and one little duties you’ve perfected over the years to make our children happy.
“In our yard, drink in the smell of new mown grass, and listen to the noise of contentment torn away from the taut fear of not living up your potential, even as your body is beginning to wonder how it got here.
“At some signal turn to see a sparrow fluttering in the bird bath and remember it’s okay not to be happy, but joy is inevitable.”
What might the recipient think when reading this one? Maybe: “Gee whiz, those are some compelling images. I need to stop and appreciate smells, sights and feelings more.”
Or, “Humm … I’m gonna’ look up this guy’s birthdate. Let’s see … yeah, here it is. He’s an old boomer, like I suspected. It appears he’s starting to drift too far from the shore. Or maybe hitting the edibles too hard.”
Whatever, the poems will likely cause a pause in the headlongness of a day following the rules set down by the boss and the system. A kink in the hose that makes the reader stop to consider a more metaphorical reality.
Speaking of which, I collect quotes on what poetry is and how it effects the reader. Here’s sampling:
- “If I feel physically that the top of my head were taken off, I know that is poetry.” — Emily Dickinson
- “Poetry lifts the veil from the hidden beauty of the world, and makes familiar objects be as if they were not familiar.” — Percy Bysshe Shelley
- “Genuine poetry can communicate before it is understood.” — T. S. Eliot
- “Poetry is an echo asking a shadow to dance.” — Carl Sandburg
- “Poetry is a life-cherishing force. For poems are not words, after all, but fires for the cold; ropes let down to the lost, something as necessary as bread in the pockets of the hungry.” — Mary Oliver
Getting back to the effects of my inserted poems, I do know for sure the impact one enclosure had on a local woman who stopped me a month or so after inserting a poem in a payment to a local doctor’s office.
“That poem you sent along with your check was just what I needed,” she told me. “I was having a really bad day and it pulled me up from a low place. I keep it taped on the wall above my desk.”
If you have a story or photo for Little Balkans Chronicles, contact me at 620-704-1309 or jtknoll@swbell.net
