j tate barlow lives near a river, and walks a lot. Her poems can be found in The New Quarterly, The Quarantine Review, Grain, EVENT, The Dalhousie Review, The Eastern Iowa Review, Vallum Magazine (First Place poem 2020), and other pages.
You can read all the people in the July 2024 issue.
Would you like to tell us a little bit more about your poem? For instance, how or why you wrote it, or perhaps provide some extra context?
all the people arrived almost fullblown – one of those poems that surprises as you write it. I live in a small Ontario city – other cities whatever size will relate to issues around bad drugs, opiates, overdoses… I’m a grandmother, and privileged to occasionally tuck my small grandsons into bed with a song or fingerplay rhyme. The contrast between the warmth, safety and innocence of their family life, and the sad, tired and desperate circumstances of some of the people “living” on the streets, was gnawing at me. After news of a large number of overdoses in February, the poem wrote itself, with very little revision.
Why was the poetic form the best fit for this particular piece of work?
I like “form” poetry, and the structure of the glosa is a favourite sort of scaffold. The innocent simplicity and brevity of the finger-play seemed a perfect invitation to engage in and reflect on something deeper, more thoughtful and of course darker. 40 lines to work with, is a goodly number, and not too many. The rhyming 6th, 9th and 10th lines lead me to discover words I might not ordinarily land on.
How do you revise your work?
A revision-nerd, I love revising! Usually I read aloud, to hear the words drift loose or bleed into each other. It’s a matter of sound, often. I like to experiment with verse-order, and the shape of the poem on the page. I’ve also learned to let the words rest for a while (hours, days, weeks, years?), to let the poem-idea set, then go back and see where it’s at.
How or where or with what does a poem begin?
Anything at all might trigger or launch a poem. Mayflies – dead on the windowsill – spawned a recent poem! Observations high and low. Sadness / joy / confusion / recollection. Existential meanderings…
Are there other art forms that inspire or inform your poetry?
Music! Steeped in music from the get-go, I was a singer-for-hire, and decades of lyrics and melodies form constellations from which I absorb inspiration and energy.
Do you belong to a writer’s group? If not, where do you find poetry community and feedback?
I’m deeply grateful to be part of a long-standing lively workshop with dedicated poets. Kenneth Sherman – outstanding Canadian poet and essayist – is the marvelous mentor / leader of this group. As well I meet with a spirited group of writers – Quinte Writers Collective – in the Belleville Public Library. C’est si bon.