Z is for Lisa Zaran:

An alphabet of poets for National Poetry Month

As was true for my entries for the letter I and the letter Q, I didn’t come to this project with a poet in mind for Z. So, once again, I took the opportunity to read someone new (to me). I found Lisa Zaran, an American poet living in Arizona, best known for her book, The Sometimes Girl.

If you’ve been reading my other posts in this series, then you already know that I am a sucker for an intriguing opening line when it comes to poetry. Zaran has some humdingers in this regard:

Death is not the final word.

-from “Talking to My Father Whose Ashes Sit in a Closet and Listen”

In the room

where I learned how to lie,

-from “Rivers”

She said she collects pieces of sky,

-from “Girl”

As if we have

any answers.

-from “Hair”

Simple, declarative, sure. Each of these lines caught my ear and eye and pulled me in, made me want to read the rest to see what that line might end up meaning when it was fully explored. I’m so glad I took on this challenge which let me visit 23 old loves, and find 3 new ones. Thanks for traveling with me through this alphabet of poets!

Samantha Bryant is a classroom veteran, now moved to corporate life, who writes in the corners of her life. Her secret superpower is finding lost things. She’s best known for her Menopausal Superhero series available from Falstaff Books or on Amazon. Well, that and her banana bread (the secret is sour cream). You can find her online on her blog, on Twitter, on Facebook, on Goodreads, on the Falstaff Books page, or on Instagram. Or check the woods. She likes to get lost there.

This post originally appeared on Balancing Act in April, 2018.