Poetry at peace
The hot, humid days of a Kentucky August paint a picture of peaceful, late evening front porch sittin’ with a cold glass of lemonade in hand, watching the colors meld and change as the sunset slips away.
Columbia novelist Russell Lunsford evokes that same feeling with his foray into poetry. Introspective, thoughtful, at peace—his collection seems to stem from a person who realizes he is closer to the end of his journey than the beginning, who is content with a life well-lived.
The things most important to Lunsford are evident in the categories of his collection, Sweetheart and My Love. Opening with poems about nature, the canvas of Lunsford’s landscape comes alive with vivid descriptions of details that are often unnoticed in a busy life. From weeping snowflakes to a naked tree, complete with lines of verse making the shape of a tree, Lunsford draws the reader’s attention to the beauty of creation.
He also pays homage to farming and its recent decline, to faith and its prominence in his life, and to family. In a section dedicated to love, Lunsford starts with a poem telling the story of how he met his wife, Janice. Later entries reference time spent apart during his deployments while serving in the U.S. Army and Army Reserve. Rounding out the collection are poems poignantly describing aging and decline, stemming from the death of both parents from Alzheimer’s disease.
Family is important to Lunsford, and he includes a handful of poems written by his father, daughter and grandson, and artwork on the cover by two of his grandchildren.
“My daughter is really good at sending us our 6-year-old grandson’s artwork, and one day she sent me the redbird. The moment I saw it I knew it was going to be the cover,” he says. His 12-year-old granddaughter drew the flowers.
His previous works were historical fiction and children’s books. Why the new genre of poetry? It’s always been a part of his life, he says.
“Wherever I go, I always carry 3-by-5 cards with me and an ink pen. I might be on my tractor, or sitting in a hunting blind, chatting with someone or just driving down the road,” Lunsford explains. “Life can deliver you some gems if you listen. I’ll see things or hear someone say something interesting or witty and I’ll jot it down for future use … A book didn’t cross my mind until I had accumulated quite a few poems, and even then, I was unsure.”
Despite his own misgivings, readers will easily relate to the verses Lunsford shares. Now sit back, enjoy, and pass the lemonade.
Sweetheart and My Love, the collection’s title fairy tale poem, was an anniversary gift to Janice, writer Russell Lunsford’s wife, in 2002 when he was serving in Kuwait. They had never been apart on an anniversary, and he wanted her to know that although they might be 8,000 miles apart, they would soon be together.
Sweetheart and My Love, (iUniverse, $13.99), is available at www.russelllunsford.com or from Amazon. Lunsford is also available for appearances and school visits. Contact him at mail@russelllunsford.com.
