Sunday, January 11, 2009

Two Poetry Books Coming Out At Once!!

Who could have ever guessed? The Shortest Distance is a full-length poetry book that I've been working on getting ready to publish since October 2007 when Susan Shehane, Publisher/Editor of Coosa River Books contacted me to ask me about publishing my work. The artwork, "The Sleeping Head," by my good buddy, Carolyn Watson, is worth more than the book costs at $15.00. The book will be available at Little Professor here in Homewood (205)870-7461 and at http://www.amazon.com/ if I ever get it posted correctly. Right now you have to put in both my name and the title to bring it up. Take a peek at the lovely cover!

Thank you, Susan. I am forever indebted to you: it is about to happen! (Susan is also the author of a lovely memoir, Alabama Listening.)

One of my favorite sections of this book contains poems I've written for my grandson, Nicholas. The title poem is in that section. I thought you might like to see it here. (See below.)I wrote the first one when he was seven and have kept it up annually.

My other book is The Nights, The Days, a chapbook of dream poems combined with journal entries of the same time. This one won a competition. I LOVE the cover on both books, but the art director has interpreted this one beautifully. Brenda Thornton's "Across the Fens" was the basis for the cover. See that gorgeous cover soon at http://www.negativecapabilitypress.com/. This will be the place to purchase this book as well. (Chapbook means little book, less than 48 pages. Price only $12.00.) Some of my Savannah buds are going to be very surprised to see actual journal entries published that include their names!! (It's all good. Very, very good. I promise.)


The Shortest Distance
for Nicholas, at seven

Angles with formulas over equations,
axioms memorized over the unknowns;
earliest choices so easily concluded.

Now as we meander along this rickrack
of shoreline, our tracks skirting the water,
we pore over shells being swallowed

into wet sandy graves; we pick one up
and try to thumb him open, as tightly seamed
as a green pistachio, then throw him back;

we scan the drier sand for fresh turtle tracks
and follow the smooth slide to a roped-off
orange square dated by a tracker today.

The wind will sweep her mounds level,
disguise the high drama of timing her dig,
of her great effort to release the eggs,

her eyes locked in a glazed-over stare
each time a contraction begins and ends
with another of the one hundred eggs laid.

This part I will not explain to you now.
Anyhow, you will be spared that one pain.
I run back to the surf and walk backwards,

an old Indian trick, I tell you, but you know that one
already, so we grab the bucket near our umbrella,
to start an aquarium with seaweed and water.

We each net the waves crashing onto sand
in threes; yours is squirming with a sand flea,
a baby flounder, and minnows of all sizes

while mine hangs empty; I am dawdling
unable to stay on task with this strange
arithmetic that at once suspends time

and yet has it speeding away, a catamaran,
sails puffed, grown miniscule, the size
of little hands spread in plaster, as fast

as your mother and her brother grew
too shy to hold mine, too busy for sand castles.
Factor in this constant of passing time

and the shortest distance between two points
is not always the straightest line; the brown
mermaid’s purse lies emptied, curled up;

the spidery hermit crab lurks inside a shell;
the turtle tracks will be erased. Our hyperbolic
beach mornings burn away long before noon.
___________________________________

And now, back to the grind of marketing. . .

19 comments:

Picket said...

Morning Kat! I did a post on you this morning on my blog..yep...plastered your pic all over the ineternet! I am so happy for you on your new books being published...wished some of your 'genes' had rubbed off on me! lol lol

Janene said...

Welcome to Blogland Aunt Kit!
You are as beautiful as your niece!
Looking forward to reading more of your posts and possibly retrieving some gramatical pointers as well!
Adding you to my favs!

onlymehere said...

Welcome to blogland!! I'm a friend of Dot's (Picket to us) and I just wanted to say hi! I've bookmarked your blog and will be back later to read it and get to know you better! Once again welcome! Cindy

Knitty said...

Welcome from my corner of blogland and a suburb of Detroit.

I would have liked to said something profound in this comment, but I am still distracted by your kitchen. It is so pretty! Yellow and blue are the main colors throughout my home but my kitchen is drab next to yours and so I am a bit envious.

Thanks for sharing your poetry and photos. I hope you enjoy blogging.

PAT said...

Good morning, Kat.

I came by, via Dot's blog, to welcome you to blogland. Enjoyed my visit!

I'm adding WordSpinning by Kathleen to my sidebar, at the Back Porch.

Bo said...

Good morning lovely lady and welcome to Blogland...I'm also coming over from Dot's to meet you and added your blog to my sidebar so I can come back often to visit. I look forward to reading your posts! :-) Bo(http://blinksnwinksfrombrown-eyes.blogspot.com/

Anonymous said...

I too ran over here from Sweet Dot, oh,I do love that lady. Now Banana Pudding is my DH's very favorite food in the whole world. Do you or Dot have a good recipe for that? He is putty in my hands when I'll make that for him. :) Well, I want to welcome you to our neighborhood. I think you'll like it here. Come visit me when you get all settled in.

Hugs,
Chris

Sue said...

WELCOME to the world of blogging! I found you through your precious neice, Dot. I think she has to be one of the sweetest gals around. Now I know where she gets her writing talent. There are days where I am laughing and crying before I finish reading her post. I plan to visit you often.

Kathleen Thompson said...

Hey, New Girlfriends!!

Now this is what I call blogging--people who actually respond!! And you're right, Sue. Dorothy has more talent in her pinkie finger than I do all over. The difference is I have lived longer and am probably a heck of a lot more stubborn. I just won't quit. You've seen a lot of Dorothy's decorating talent because she's such a techie and adds all this clever stuff, but you don't know the half of it. The first time I visited her house she had my daddy's old fishing boat paddle, and a little bitty scruched up paper bag--so old and wrinkled it looked like cloth (paper used to have more cotton content)with his old fishing lures tacked up on the wall in her foyer. AND, surprise of surprises, it looked great. She had the wall all dolled up with this junk and it looked brilliant.
And precious. How many young people do you know who are sensitive enough to appreciate objects that are the very essence of a loved one gone on? She is special! Everything she touches turns pretty. And if I had tried throwing some things up on the wall like that, someone would be asking why I had junk on my walls.

Now, that talent she got from her mama's side of the family.

She obviously has a GREAT writing talent and storyteller talent--and I agree that her looks are nothing to sneeze about.(Her mama was a knockout when she was young.)

Well, this is a pleasant break from the busy-ness of promoting books. Thanks to all who visited.If I don't hang out on the porch talking too much, you'll have to forgive me, but I'll come outside from time to time and swing a little with ya'll.

Aunt Kat


So long.
PS I wish I knew how to send this to all of you with a click, but since I can't, I hope you'll all read it here sometime.

The Muse said...

I welcome you...and look forward to many endless hours of poignant pondering!

•♦•©The Olde Weeping Cedar •♦• said...

Hello & WELCOME to Blogland!
Popped on over from Dot's place.
Your poetry is as breathtaking as you are!
Happy to meet you, I will add you to my blogroll, please stop by if ya get a chance! http://weepingcedarhollow.blogspot.com/

Have a wonderful evening
-Kath

Justine said...

Welcome to blogland, Kat! I just popped over from Dot's blog, and had to come say hello. Your niece is just the sweetest little tater in the south!

Justine :o )

Nonnas News said...

Welcome to blogland Kat!! Im a blog friend of Dots! My blog is private but if you would like an invitation to it just email me at iluvmynonna@yahoo.com
Patti

Laurie - Decorating Fanatic said...

Hello Aunt Kat! Talent & Beauty sure run in your family! Dot is special to us and I agree she has amazing writing ability - each one of her posts has a special message to share and most days I've got tears! It's a pleasure to meet you and I am eager to read more of your beautiful poetry. So a big welcome to Blogland ~ this is one amazing journey that takes you all over the map while still being in your Pj's! :) Enjoy! ~ Laurie

Pat @ Mille Fiori Favoriti said...

Hello Kat! Welcoem to blogging! I've learned about your blog from Dot. I've enjoyed my visit and your poetry very much and will visit again soon.

All the best!

Pat in NY

Happy To Be/ Gl♥ria said...

GM Aunt K..well I am so glad to meet you..WELCOME to the world of blogging..and how great that you are one of my all time favorite ladies aunts...I just love Dot more than my luggage girl..good luck with your blog..hugs and smiles Gloria

Anonymous said...

Hello I came over from your nieces blog to say hello and how beautiful your poem is. My late FIL wrote poetry too. It is a wonderful way to express ones self. May God bless you on this beautiful journey.

~Linda~

Anonymous said...

Welcome to the Land of Blog, Kat! I found out about you from Dot/Picket! She was just bragging all over about you! I wanted to come by and say hello and will be back to see you soon!
Be a sweetie,
Shelia ;)

The Quintessential Magpie said...

Kat, it's so nice to "meet you." I saw this notice on Dot's blog and wanted to drop in to tell you it's nice to meet you. :-) I have another new friend named Kat whom I mistakenly thought was you, but now I have two Kats! ;-)

I love Dot and Helen and got to know them through friends and through the fact that I won Helen's doll, Autumn Annie, who has many adventures on my blog. Annie is a character.

I am enjoying your poetry, and I congratulate you on being published. That is wonderul news!

Looking forward to blogging with you...

XO,

Sheila :-)

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