Home

When local poet Mark Spence stepped up to the microphone at the January Poetry, Prose, and Pizza Open Mic Night, I knew we would be in for a treat, but I did not know how close to my heart his poem would hit. Although Mark is a young man, he has attended almost every poetry open mic night at the Russell Memorial Library for years and has developed a name for himself in the local poetry community. Enjoy his poem "The Home."

The Home

by Mark Spence

A house is a house,

But a home has a tale
Though often untold,
They are captured in the gale
And this is just a picture,

A drawing for the eye

A tool we can use

To trigger memories by.

Think of all the things

It has seen through the years

It has seen all the smiles

And all of the tears

What kinds of secrets

Are hidden in the walls

Hidden in our minds,

Hidden in our vaults

The ghosts of the past

Dance across the lawn

Days far simpler,

Days too far gone

But new life abounds

As time moves on

Creating new memories

And new tales to spawn

Joy for all the visitors

That pass through these doors

And for gifts counted priceless

That are mine and yours

Turn the four seasons

The home sees them all

There are years that abound

That won't stay within a wall

And see all the windows,

The world stares within

Each day a new scene,

The show never ends

Cast your eyes upon it,

Dream as you do

Know that a loving house

Is home for very few

The hands that are held

And the arms that embrace

All thankfully shared,

All given with grace

So let the sun shine in

And set the moon aglow

A candle's always lit

No matter where you go

It serves as a beacon,

A compass to the heart

For we know not where it ends,

But we know where it starts

May we never lose sight

No matter where we roam

Oh God, forever,

Make this house into a home.

______________________________________

Mark's poem about a home is dear to me because my "old home place" is soon to go on the market. For generations, my family has owned it. Many of the older generation were born there, weddings and funerals were held there, holidays were celebrated there, summers were spent there with grandparents, and best of all, wonderful stories were told there. And poetry, too. We children would sit spellbound at Granddaddy's feet as he recited from memory "Little Orphant Annie" by James Whitcomb Riley, "Little Boy Blue" by Eugene Field, and others too many to list. He loved to tease us with his tall tales of "haints and hobgoblins," all told with a mischievous upturn to his mouth and a twinkle in his eyes. He was quite a character, the ultimate storyteller! And this house, built in the 1800's, heard them all.

What treasured memories we grown up cousins have now of those days long ago!
Memories of times spent gathered 'round the dining room table listening to the grown ups' stories; memories of digging carrots and raddishes in the garden (and eating them right then and there after dusting them briefly on our jeans); of listening for "Flatmouth" - the goblin who would supposedly give us treats if our table manners were consistently good; of sliding down the stairway banister only to bump into the newel post at the bottom; of swinging in the hammock and playing with friends in the side yard; and of churning peach ice cream on the back porch. The children of today might find all of that boring, but to us, it was a piece of heaven to be with our grandparents and share this special place, this HOME. I will miss it.

I've read two novels recently that touch on the subject of houses and what they can mean to a family. You might want to try them out. Fannie Flagg's newest novel "I Still Dream of You" is set in Birmingham and the main character is a real estate agent who has loved Crestview, a lovely old home in that area, all her life. Another interesting take on the subject of home is Beth Hoffman's first novel "Saving CeeCee Honeycutt" in which a little girl finds herself basically without a home until her aunt takes her into her home in Savannah. The aunt's great passion is saving historical properties and she frequently talks with CeeCee about what a house can mean to a family.

For information about other new books at the library, be sure to see WOWBRARY at http://wowbrary.org/ .

Home is where we live; sometimes it can be where we work. Fortunately, I have a terrific "home" at the Russell Memorial Library. Exciting things happen here! Every quarter, we have Poetry, Prose, and Pizza Open Mic Night with pizza courtesy of Rita's Pizza and Mr. Gayle Mayo. Celebrate National Poetry Month by coming to the next Poetry, Prose, and Pizza Open Mic Night on April 22 at 6:45 PM. Share your poetry, comedy, or short stories - appropriate for a family audience - or be part of the audience cheering the brave poets and storytellers on as they step up to the mic.

Poetry, Prose, and Pizza Open Mic Night

Friday, April 22

6:45 PM

Here are some of the people, in addition to Mark Spence, who shared their poetry at the January open mic event. The January Poetry, Prose, and Pizza Open Mic Night was one of the best ever.

Daye Brayboy (top photo) and Palube entertain the audience with their powerful poetry.

(Photo credit: Easter Dodds)

Lyrica (top photo) and Mary Barnes perform their poems at the January 7th Poetry, Prose, and Pizza Open Mic Night. (Photo credit: Easter Dodds)

In addition to the poetry happening in our house, poetry is happening all over Tidewater:

• Be sure to get a copy of "Little River on the Milky Way," a brand new book of poetry by Jack Callan, one of my favorite local poets. Jack is the Southeast Regional Vice President of the Poetry Society of Virginia and an award-winning poet and artist. He has graced us with his poetry at several open mic events over the years, and he has never let us down.
  
  
  Our good friend Synnika Lofton, "The Poet Immortal," hosts Open Mic Poetry Night monthly at the Greenbrier Library, 1214 Volvo Parkway. The next open mic event there will be February 16, 7:00-9:00 PM.
  





• Brenda Andrews is the publisher of the New Journal and Guide, an African-American newspaper that has been in print for 111 years, and she writes poetry under the pseudonym of Belle. If the poems she read at the January Poetry, Prose, and Pizza Open Mic Night are an example of her work, she is superb! "The Seasons of Love," her first volume of poetry, was recently published.

For the full story on what's happening in the poetry community around Tidewater, be sure to check out these people and their news:

Don't miss the articles and photos by Easter Dodds in The Chesapeake Poetry Examiner www.examiner.com/poetry-in-chesapeake/easter-dodds. Easter is a terrific writer, photographer, and poet, and her site is a "must read" for poetry lovers. Be sure to look at all of the Poetry, Prose, and Pizza entries and the photos, too. Easter chronicled the January open mic night on her site with details about each poet, including their works and photos.

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  Nathan Richardson's site http://www.scpublishing.com/ is also chock full of information about poets, poetry events, photos, and helpful links. (Photo credit: Easter Dodds)

Pete Freas and the Chesapeake Bay Poets site http://www.chesbaypoets.org/ provide poetry lovers with information about poetry venues in Tidewater and helpful links, too. (Photo credit: Easter Dodds)

For information about the Chesapeake Public Library system and its services and programs, be sure to check us out on Facebook. http://www.facebook.com/ChesapeakePublicLibrary

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