A Poem Is Successful If Five People Interpret It In Five Different Ways
“We look into forests, rivers, lakes, and sky as if looking into a mirror.”
I have the privilege of knowing Kirk Westphal as a peer environmental consultant. I learned quickly that he is an accomplished musician, writer, and award-winning poet.
Kirk has a depth in his communication that bridges traditional boundaries. One of his two publish books of poems, Bodies of Wood and Water, is an outstanding example of his communication ability and of who Kirk is as a person. His work is an enjoyable read.
More Than 80 Poems
Westphal includes more than 80 poems in this book. The range of style is equally impressive with the range of topic. He describes his poetic style as using a lot of imagery, and very few are direct.
Kirk considers a poem to be successful if five people read it and interpret it five different ways.
“The unifying theme is the equivalence of all things seen and unseen, breathing or being, and this creates room in a poem to tell more than one story with the same words, explains Westphal.
“In Bodies of Wood and Water we look into forests, rivers, lakes, and sky as if looking into a mirror.”
My Favorite, Holding Her
I may build a wooden canoe
so I would come to know
how the soft caress of water
can bend wood,
and so I might know
the bones and skin of such a shape
know its ribs with my palms
and understand with my fingers
how the ache of any curve
is the seeking of another
and becoming it,
and I would gently grip the gunwales
as she slipped or slept beneath me
holding her still
or easing her through waves.
— Holding Her, Bodies of Wood and Water
The Rest of My Top Ten
- The Dance
- Body of Water
- Consecration
- Saturation
- Nothing More
- Weight of Air
- The Lake Within
- Northern Mountains
- Sea of Glass
Thinking About It
You will find Bodies of Wood and Water a worthwhile read. From a person who specializes in the natural environment and excels in communicating in many forums, you will find Kirk Westphal an impressive personality who lives what he writes.
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