A land of great connections

The historic marker for renowned poet Robert Frost along Route 125 in Ripton, Vt. (Gareth Henderson Photo)

Vermont is a small state, but with a certain greatness to offer. That quality shows up many times in moments of natural grandeur, captured in a photo or video, and other times it has to do with great talents choosing to grace these mountains and valleys. 

Driving back home from a visit to Middlebury, Vermont, today, we passed through Ripton where world-famous poet Robert Frost spent the summer and fall from 1939 until his death in 1963. His writing cabin, a National Historic Landmark, is on a 150-acre farm nestled in the scenic Green Mountains off Route 125. Over the years, he often shared his expertise with the students at Middlebury College’s Bread Loaf School of English and its Writers’ Conference. What an experience that must have been for those young writers. 

Along Route 125, we stopped to take the above photo of the historic marker honoring Frost and his longtime connection to Vermont. The marker quotes the former Vermont Poet Laureate: 

Breathes there a bard who isn’t moved

When he finds his verse is understood

And not entirely disapproved

By his Country and his Neighborhood!

Reading Frost’s own words, and seeing his name honored there, I could not help but think that spot was the perfect place for this recognition. He lived here and shared his craft with aspiring writers, of course, but at the same time, these mountains assuredly brought some comfort and ease to his work. The Green Mountains, by their very presence, embrace the mind and paint natural scenes which give solace to thought and inspiration to the thinker. Looking out my window to see sunlit trees and a gentle blue Vermont sky, this expression of grace is like fresh water to grow new ideas, and this landscape remains an inspiration for artists of all kinds.

Indeed, when seeing Robert Frost’s name Saturday afternoon, and the trees towering behind the site, it represented the perfect combination of a beautiful landscape and a writer very much at home within it. That’s a familiar feeling for me, and it’s a joy to share the abundant inspiration gleaned from the wide world of nature. Like life itself, nature is always beaming with renewal and hope, whether the skies are cloudy or sunny. It’s a world always ready to inspire, and that goodness doesn’t diminish — it’s alive, and it’s here to uplift us all.

— Gareth Henderson

The quiet power of poetry

Lulls Brook by Reeves Road in Hartland, Vermont. (Gareth Henderson Photo)

Through nature’s stream of change, 

A settled peace holds sway.

The rest is fully arranged;

Renewal anchors the day.

That’s my poetic recognition of spring, reflecting the confident peace beneath the surface of the changing season. Using few words to say more is a cherished feature of poetry, and one of many reasons to celebrate this age-old art form. 

Today, we’re in the middle of National Poetry Month, and we’ve also arrived at the 25th anniversary of this national celebration. “Launched by the Academy of American Poets in April 1996, National Poetry Month reminds the public that poets have an integral role to play in our culture and that poetry matters,” states poets.org. 

It’s already been a big year for poetry, with National Youth Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman and her inspiring reading of her masterpiece, “The Hill We Climb,” at the presidential inauguration in January. The poem, now published in a book of the same title, reads in part: “Let the globe, if nothing else, say this is true: That even as we grieved we grew, that even as we hurt we hoped, that even as we tired we tried, that we'll forever be tied together, victorious.” 

Poetry is painting with words, drawing from the vast palette of human feelings to touch our heartstrings, and move our minds. Each poem that encapsulates art with profound meaning is, in and of itself, a victory. It’s another proof that a great amount of beauty can live, and flourish, within the words of a poem. It can make a difference, by bringing out truth and giving hope like no other art form can. That's the gift it brings, and that’s the quiet power of poetry.

— Gareth Henderson

The gift of poetry

The audience listens to a poetry reading in Woodstock, Vermont, on Wednesday. (Gareth Henderson Photo)

Poetry has its own unique power to inspire, and people gathered to enjoy that inspiration at a socially distanced poetry reading on Wednesday in Woodstock, Vermont. 

That sparkling October day, about 25 people showed up to hear a local poetry group read their work on the steps of the Norman Williams Public Library. The group read from a new collection of their poems, called "Wednesday Poets". It includes the work of Pamela Ahlen, Peggy Brightman, Blair Brooks, Jon Escher, Laura Foley, Debby Franzoni, Jill Herrick-Lee, Brooke Herter James, Wendy Ann Smith and Sarah Dickenson Snyder. 

Like so many groups these days, The Wednesday Poets now meet over Zoom. Their twice-weekly meetings on Mondays and Wednesdays used to be held at the North Chapel Universalist Society in Woodstock Village. Proceeds from the book benefit the North Chapel, as a thank-you for allowing the group to use space in the church. The North Chapel’s pastor, Rev. Dr. Leon Dunkley, penned the book's introduction.

A number of the poets mentioned they were pleasantly surprised to see the big crowd at Wednesday's event. For sure, people haven't been able to see this kind of event very much this year. 

"I think a lot of people were excited to get out of their houses and see other people," said poet Laura Foley, who resides in South Pomfret.

Though the group now meets on Zoom, she said the connective impact of poetry still happens.

"You get to know each other on a deep level," Foley said.  

Foley, the author of seven poetry collections, received a starred Kirkus Review for “Why I Never Finished My Dissertation” and has won numerous awards and national recognition. Jill Herrick-Lee’s poetry has appeared in various collections, including The Endicott Review and Zingology. Sarah Dickenson Snyder has three poetry collections; her 2018 work “Notes from a Nomad” was nominated for the Massachusetts Book Awards.

Much of Wednesday’s crowd stayed through the whole reading, gripped by the opportunity to experience some inspired words of poetry. Woodstock resident Judith Taylor loved the event. 

"We needed to be gathered in this kind of grace," Taylor said. "With so many other kinds of gatherings going on all over, this was redemptive, and poetry does that for us."

Debby Franzoni began the evening by reading the words of Blair Brooks, a member of the The Wednesday Poets who passed away last year. Brooks delved into writing poetry after retiring from his job as an internal medicine physician at Dartmouth-Hitchcock. He was a well-known coach in the Upper Valley and was a mentor and friend to many people.

"His wise, kind spirit remains at the heart and soul of our group," his bio reads in the book. Brooks' own book of poetry, "The Spaces In Between", was published posthumously in 2019. Franzoni read from that poem of the same name, and also from another by Brooks in "Wednesday Poets", called "Marching On". The latter poem reads, in part: 

There are no guarantees. 

Except time — it will march on.

Pay attention.

Don't miss the moments — even the tiny ones.

Each reader on Wednesday shared two poems, to warm applause from the audience. Meg Brazill, who works at the library, tearfully thanked everyone for a lovely, moving evening. She enjoyed seeing the audience gathered in front of the library. 

"I think it's clear they're interested in engaging with other people, and poetry is a great way to do that," Brazill said.  

In Dunkley’s introduction to the new book, "Wednesday Poets", he sums up the power of poetry nicely: "Just as the inner life blossoms and the outer life is thrown to flame, poetry helps us to love this world more deeply, this ever changing world of flowers and fire." 

— Gareth Henderson