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My friends, I can't even describe how much I have enjoyed sitting at the feet of Beatrice to learn from her experience, hear her words, and be enlightened. I also recognize we have had some technical problems.
While I post her interview here, I know it doesn't even begin to define her, or show her in the brilliant light under which she should be standing...so I depend on you to glean from her words...and I hope you forgive "formatting" glitches this week, which has kept me days from submitting...because I just couldn't quite get them right...I don't have the luxury of a Ben Bradley to "fix" it for me...
Bea, I don’t even know where to start with you. Your writing is so insightful, so (excuse the Victorian word) fetching! So I guess I’ll start with the beginning. When did you start writing and why?
Q: what is it about poetry that draws you as a writer? You are eloquent enough to do any written form…so why poetry?
A: I was a classically trained opera singer, and was focused on that since I was in grammar school. The thought of writing anything other than school work, never entered my mind.. I wrote copious letters all my life…I could never just sign a card and let it go at that, but that was the extent of it. My husband suffered a heart attack in 1979 and I wanted to compose a little verse to make that Valentine special. I awoke in the middle of the night with these lines dancing in my head and it wound up to be a six stanza love poem. It was like turning on the faucet…haven’t been able to turn it off since.
First of all, I don’t know about being so eloquent, the only prose I’ve written was my account of my early childhood and living through WW2 which I’ve posted here as my CHILDHOOD VIGNETTES. That was fun, but I was comfortable about writing what I knew as opposed to writing fiction. The difference between prose and poetry, for me, is: In writing poetry, you are pouring out your soul…your innermost feelings…who you really are, whereas, in other genres`, you are writing action, movement, plot etc. keeping many balls in the air at one time. You may have to curtail devoting too much time to the “sensitive side “ as you run the risk of being too “maudlin”. In Poetry, you can get away with it and label it “dark” poetry.
Q: Your poem “No Greater love…The Passion” lends credence to the fact that your religious beliefs impact your writing. Tell me (and us) how God impacts your life and writing.
A: God is the center of my life. He gave me this talent for a purpose, as he did My voice, to be able to touch something in people’s hearts to bring them peace and consolation, when need be. Or, as in my religious work, to bring them closer to him .
Q: You have lived a complete life…experienced many things…what is our “charge in life…what are we meant to do?
A: To live our lives as God willed us to do…loving each other, accepting each other for what we are, living in peace with our neighbors, countries etc., instilling in our children a sense of purpose and honor, living for the good of all, not just ourselves, and helping those less fortunate than we are. But most of all, spreading the word of God through the talents he has given us.
Q: Your “An Evening with Emily” is amazing. It shows some measure of knowledge of her life. How important is it for a writer to be “well read”…(feel free to expand here and talk about classics, education, etc)
A: It is extremely important for a writer to be well read, regardless of the genre` he will be working in. I love the classics, particularly the English poets. The cadence, rhythms and various styles they employed are a never-ending source of inspiration. When I was a child in school, (a thousand years ago) we were required to read them all from Milton to Shakespeare. As a result, when I was a drama school student, I found this extremely helpful as I was already familiar with the works of Shakespeare and could more readily apply the techniques being taught because I already had an insight into the character. (Thank you Sr. Julia Marie…my English teacher in high school, who kept telling us that someday, we would have an A HA! Moment as a result of studying Shakespeare!) Although I admire these authors immensely, I must tell you that I became a lover of poetry because of a poem I read (or had read to me) when I was four years old. It was Eugene Field’s LITTLE BOY BLUE! I can’t tell you how much it touched me at the time (and it still does!) It was so poignant and sad. It still brings a tear to my eye. I wonder if young people have ever heard of him, or is he, like others too passé`!
Q: Talk to me about the “writing forums”. I know you are a moderator, and I have not spent a lot of time there. What is your favorite thing about the “forums”. How can they enhance us, make the life more fun, is there room for debate there?
A: I just love the forums. The young people constantly amaze me with their talent and humor. We have a great time while constantly learning from each other. They tolerate me with good grace, while we constantly bait each other in the word games. (Keeps Alzheimer’s at bay!) There is something for everyone there…too many to enumerate here…i.e., Research forums, critique forum, word games, short stories, poetry, haiku, a lounge etc.
They are constantly initiating new subjects to talk (and debate) about. There have been some lively discussions being bandied about and we are growing by leaps and bounds! It is a great testing place for those who think they’re not quite ready to post in Lit…they test the waters here, then polish it off and post it later. Some will post both places, so it will be seen by more people. I was thrilled when they voted me in as a moderator and I try not to intrude too often, so that when I DO have to intervene, it will be for a good reason! C’mon down Claire, we ‘d love to see ya!
Q: You must indulge me. Your oem “Forsaken”…would intimate that you experienced loss in your life, and your muse. Tell me please, what prompted this one?
A: I hate to tell you this Claire, but FORSAKEN was written about…ta da! MY MUSE! (Literally!) I was so frustrated one evening, because try as I might, I kept staring at a blank page all night. I’m sure you can relate. However, most of my earlier poetry (and even now) was written as therapy before and after my husband died. It kept me sane! Not everything I write is about myself…some of it was to console friends who had lost loved ones, or something I read about that touched me, or even the war. Because, as you know, I was brought up in a Funeral Home, writing about death is not a big deal for me in the sense that I am completely comfortable about it and find it easy to reach down in the depths of sorrow, trying to end it on a positive note where I can.
Q: “Alpha and Omega” (a most beautiful poem) screams free will. Do we have it? or are our destinies set before we start?
A: Well, I for one do not believe everything is pre-ordained. There are things in life we cannot change …they are out of our control. However, we are given choices as to how we will react to those circumstances…that IS under our control.
Q: I so want to learn from you , so I am on the floor at your feet. Teach me the lessons you have learned. What is our charge? What are we supposed to do?
A: Well, as you know, I’m 76 and I’m STILL learning. (Oh to be 30 and starting my life over again!) I’ve learned that I have much more strength to handle life’s lessons than I thought I would, I recognize that it was my bad choices rather than “karma” for not succeeding in certain areas of my life and I regret that I did not have the wisdom to know this earlier in my life.
Q: When you review the VCR of your life, what would you change (if anything)
A: First of all, I would have gotten a “live in” to clean my house and mind the children periodically, while I galloped off to take advantage of offers I was given in my singing career. In those days of the “Stepford” wives in the forties, a working mother was frowned upon. (Until they needed them in the war…then sent them scurrying back to the kitchen when the war was over!)
I didn’t give it up entirely…just sang closer to home. Also, I’ve been singing in church all my life. I love singing with the choir…keeps me young! Wakes, Weddings, Bar Mitzvah’s…have pipes…will travel!
Also, I’d be a little more sensitive and understanding to my parents, Mother-in-law etc. I find myself doing and saying some of the same things I used to be annoyed about when they were my age. (don’t laugh…you’ll be old yourself some day and you’ll see what I’m talking about.) Never thought for one minute that I’d be joining the club! Also, I would have waited a little bit longer to have gotten married. Although I was 20 yrs old…in that period, I was a naive as a 14 yr old today. We All were!. I still would have married my husband, but I would have pursued my career a little further, then settled down to have children. (I had 3 children the first four years we were married…then we bought a television set and he stopped coming home for lunch!) Remember, birth control was unheard of then and we Catholics relied on the ”rhythm” method. (We must have been playing the wrong tune…hence the three kids!) No real regrets though, I wouldn’t have missed it for anything!
Q: we start as blank slates, we grow and we encompass, and hopefully, we change. Have you changed in the years since you started this journey?
A: You’re looking at the most advanced case of arrested development you’ve ever seen! But seriously, of course I’ve changed. Hopefully, for the better. I’ve learned to be more tolerant with friends and loved ones, I lived through enough turmoil to recognize that life is short, therefore precious, and contrary to my hopes and wishes, this is not a dress rehearsal…this is it…no more go arounds …if we ‘fluff our lines” no do overs. So my friends, try to get it right the first time and live life to the fullest, you will not pass this way again! When my husband was ill, we read Kipling’s RUBIYAT to each other. One of my favorite passages sums up my philosophy of life at this stage of the game.
“Come, fill the cup
And in the fire of spring
Your winter garment of repentance fling
The bird of time has but a little way to flutter
And the bird is on the wing!”
Well, I have a few (ed.note: favorites) but I always go back to read one I wrote 6 months after I became a widow. I was a typical bride of the forties and fifties…totally dependent on my husband to “take care of things”! I had a hard time coping, and was struggling to make my way without him.
Can You Hear Me Lord
Are you watching me Lord, do you know I’m here
Have you heard all the prayers I’ve sent up to your ear
There are so many things that I have to learn
Sometimes it seems I’ve nowhere to turn
Q: do you have a favorite poem among those you have published here at lit.org?
The roof leaked today, the carpet got wet
I thought they repaired it, I was really upset
My tax return is almost due, I don’t understand it
(By the way - do you?)
My checkbook is always in disarray
I can’t seem to balance it, what can I say
It does no good to scream and shout
What do you say Lord, can you help me out?
It’s cold today, almost 5` below
My furnace broke down (wouldn’t you know)
The plumber was late…he’d had a flat
Then overcharged me for a thermostat
The car won’t start, the dog ran away
I really feel helpless to my dismay
I remind myself when I really feel down
That I’m not the only widow in town!
When I was born you did something wrong
You forgot to make me fearless and strong
Listen Lord, for goodness sake
Just this once, can you give me a break?
Oh, thank you Lord, you heard my plea
You really were listening to me
Just when everything seemed so bleak
You let me lose five pounds this week!
Q: I have to ask the back story question…I know there must be one piece you have written that has a fascinating story attached to it…inspired it, was a message to someone, or something that your readers will love…would you share it?
A: Actually, there are two that stand out, both for the same reason. Like every one else, I was horrified at the loss of life caused by the events of 9/11. Living right across the river from NYC, our area suffered a tremendous loss of life from people who worked in the area. One of the families in our town was left with a widow and FIVE children, all under the age of 10. My heart went out to her and all the others, and I tried to imagine how that widow would feel coping with this loss. I wrote SINCE YOU’VE BEEN GONE and sent it to her. She told me later, that it expressed exactly how she was feeling and has since shared it with other victim’s families.
I wrote SAFE AT HOME WITH GOD when my husband’s cousin was killed at the beginning of the war in Iraq. He was a young Marine, who had just been engaged before he went over there. His mother was devastated! When I sent her the poem, she said she had not been able to cry before this, but broke down when she read it and said it was a cleansing experience and had this and another poem of mine read at the funeral. Since he was the first soldier killed from the State of Arizona, it was covered by all the media…I have since received 3 or 4 notes from other mothers who received it, thanking me for writing it as it truly comforted them. That makes me so proud!
Q: Do you publish your work anywhere else on the internet or in the world? Do you enter contests at all?
A: I do have some of my work posted on several other poetry sites, and contribute from time to time, but Lit.org and the forums are my main vehicle for posting , listening and most of all learning. I have absorbed so much from this site. The feedback I received was invaluable to me. I can see the difference in my earlier work and while not up to par with the majority of you college educated young geniuses, I think I have improved somewhat! Thank you for that. As for entering contests…not hardly! (Unless I find one soliciting mediocre works that isn’t connected to Poetry .com and that ilk!) The only one I seriously considered was for War Poetry, but when I read some of the entries and winners from previous years, I only came across one that rhymed…ergo, I didn’t bother. I find that to be true in most poetry arenas.
Q: Since you have the benefit of more life experience that I do…what would you say has been your most valuable life lesson…one that you would wish to save some of us the “knocks” of learning that you can share….
A: First of all…seize the moment! I know that sounds trite and cliché , but so many people in their later years, look back and regret that they didn’t act on something they felt was just right for them, playing it “safe” as it were, or worse…waiting for something better to come along. Youth is the ideal time to try and fail…you still have tomorrow to try again.
Woulda- coulda- shoulda is cold comfort in your old age!
Q: What changes with age (aches and pains don’t count…LOL)…do you finally come to a point where you have the answers to a peaceful mind…a peaceful existence?
A: Frankly, speaking for myself, I don’t think there is any such animal as a peaceful mind. Mine is constantly churning, probing, wondering what trouble I can get into next! But the nearest thing I have to achieving that state, is my faith in God, and knowing he is standing by my side to help shoulder the load. I wrote “His Hand Is On My Shoulder,” expressly for that purpose. I guess my answer to your question would have to be “Acceptance” of what I can’t do anything about. Give it up to the Lord.
Q: As you look back over the life you have lived (and anticipate another 76 years)…is there anything you would change…please share.
A: Well, I’ve already enumerated some of them in your previous questions, but I would have to add: I would like to have had more patience with my children when they were growing up. I had them so close together, there never seemed to be enough time to give special attention to each of them equally. I had been trained to be a “star”… not, as it turned out…the queen of my kitchen! But we all survived, and I have 3 wonderful children who put up with their mother’s shortcomings!
Q: What is your favorite poem/poet of all time?
Well, that is a difficult one to answer. I have so many favorites, and for different reasons.
I love Emily Dickenson, she really touches my heart. It is one thing to write about something you’ve actually experienced, but to write about things you only imagine, and do it so beautifully, is nothing short of amazing!
As for my favorite poem, I would have to say “The Rubiyat” of Omar Khayyam. Although, strictly speaking, it is a collection of poems. There are so many truths in this work, that strike a chord in all of us I’m sure. And so beautifully expressed.
Q: What is your favorite non-fiction work/author?
That’s easy…any good cook-book author!
Q: Your favorite fiction work/author?
A: Any of Jane Austen’s novels. (I rarely read modern fiction at all.)
Q: If I could accomplish one more thing…it would be:
To write something that I (and the world) could truly be proud of!
Q: You and six people (living or dead) can come to my house to share the wealth of experience and knowledge…who would you bring?
A: Without a doubt, my first choice would be the Composers, Giacamo Puccini, and Sergai Rachmaninov, St. Jude (patron saint of the hopeless and helpless) Emily Dickenson, Nostradamus and my Father.
Q: Pet peeves in other’s writing?
A: Penelope said it first, but it’s one of mine too, and I see it so often on the forums…not capitalizing first person I and using web speak i.e., u instead of you etc. Also, horrendous spelling and grammar…not double checking everything before posting it. I have heard so many people saying it’s not important…only the thought matters in poetry! Nonsense…it all matters!
Q: What is the biggest “minefield” in life?
A: Pre-occupation with the “goodies” of life, the pursuit of which can sometimes alienate you from the really important things in life i.e., family, integrity and social conscience.
Q: If you had to describe yourself in twenty five words or less…how would you describe Beatrice Boyle?
My husband always said he would inscribe on my tombstone: SHE MEANT WELL!
Q: best time of the day and why?
A: The early morning hours. As I am an insomniac, I usually do my best work @ 3 or 4 a.m.
(I guess my muse is too, as that’s the only time she visits me!)
I thank Bea, so much for taking the time to be EXPOSED! in spite of our technical difficulties, and I beg indulgence on the formatting.. Next week, for the better or the worse, I will be on the hotseat the good Lord willin’ and the creek don’t rise.. After that, we’ll see where it goes...
A good week to all....
Claire
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Reader’s Question This Week:
Q: Do you have to be published to be exposed?
A: Absolutely not. I have no doubt that everyone here who wants to be published will ultimately be published, so think of EXPOSED! as the groundwork for your first national magazine interview, or broadcast interview (E! for writers...LOL)
...until next time
Claire
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EXPOSED! at lit.org (williamhill)
