The prompt for Haibun Monday 30/03/2020: Snapshots of Our Lives, from Kim at dVerse Poets Pub, is to write a haibun that tells the story behind a poem from our personal archives. This is the story behind How I Knew I was a Poet, my video poem from 2017.
In the Beginning
I first visited YouTube in 2006, and it wasn’t long before I was making videos of my own, including video poetry. As time went on, I joined other video sharing sites. In 2010, one of the vloggers I followed was planning to travel from Chicago to Boston on his motorcycle, and he asked those along his route about meeting up for coffee. I took him to see Niagara Falls, and offered a room and a bed for the night. He told me to visit him any time, offering the use of his spare room.
The following year, we planned a meetup that included four other vloggers. Two of them also were from Chicago, one was from Washington state, and the fourth was from Missouri. Over several days, we visited a blues club, took a boat tour of Chicago’s architecture along the Chicago River, and visited the Green Mill Jazz Club (the home of slam poetry) and The Poetry Foundation. Everyone had a good time, and I had some interesting conversations about poetry at The Poetry Foundation with, little did I know, the woman who would one day be my wife.
I moved to Missouri in 2012.
whispering verses
witnessed by poets
in the beginning
Image: The Poetry Foundation, in Chicago
If you are going to have something in common with a partner, you could do a lot worse than it being poetry. Congratulations on finding the love of your life, Ken.
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Thank you, Lisa. 🙂
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You’re welcome 🙂
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I started off by making youtube poetry videos, but my poems are long, and I had little eye contact. So, then for years I taped all my poems (like 600 of them). As an ex-actor, I achieved dramatic flair. But it all became too time intensive. We used to have early hints of the prompts, which gave us more time to prepare.
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It’s time consuming, so I don’t make as many video poems as I would like.
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What a great story of the evolution of friendship. As a biker, I love the idea of this kind of journey and meeting up. Thank you, Ken.
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And thank you, Steve.
We’ve met up with Chuck in Chicago a few more times.
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What a great story. The connections that arise and interweave.
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Thank you. some things, you just don’t see coming.
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Truer words were never spoken.
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A great background for a love story. And it came true! (K)
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It did! Thank you.
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What interesting connections you have made… including a special woman! How very nice!
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It certainly works for me! Thank you.
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Wow a haibun love story, beautiful. Thanks fir dropping by my blog Ken
Much❤love
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🙂 Thank you.
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What a great story. It sounds like you were following your heart the whole way.
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It certainly worked out that way.
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Beautiful story … love “whispering verses”
And this answers the question of how you landed in Missouri!
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Thank you, Jazz. She, alone, makes it my favorite place.
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That is amazing!
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Thank you!
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What an exciting journey and event! 🙂
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It proved to be more than I expected. Thank you.
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‘How I Knew I Was a Poet’ was new to me, Ken, so this prompt was my first chance to read (and listen to) it. I love the way you set the scene in the first stanza, and that the only sound is the ‘leaves rustling / with each page turned’, A wonderful way to find out you’re a poet. You’ve included so much detail in the prose o your haibun that I feel as if I was there. Poetry is a great way to meet new friends – and a wife.
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‘How I Knew I Was a Poet’ was new to me, Ken, so this prompt was my first chance to read it. I love the way you set the scene in the first stanza, and that the only sound is the ‘leaves rustling / with each page turned’, A wonderful way to find out you’re a poet. You’ve included so much detail in the prose o your haibun that I feel as if I was there. Poetry is a great way to meet new friends – and a wife.
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Poetry leading to love! That’s a wonderful story.
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Thank you. 😀
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A road movie almost, with a very happy ending.
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I like that thought. Thank you, Jane.
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🙂
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What a serendipity way to meet your wife! 🙂 Love that little surprise as I was reading. My husband is from Chicago….we’ve done the architectural tour and it is marvelous. I do believe Chicago has the most spectacular architecture of any city in the U.S….and I am not from there!
I enjoyed this!
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Thank you, Lillian. I took some great photos on that boat tour.
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How amazing to meet your wife to be through an adventure like that.
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Three months later, we went back to Chicago as a couple for a jazz festival. It’s one of my favorite memories.
Thank you, Björn.
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I enjoyed your story immensely. Your love of poetry took you on a great adventure, and found you a life partner as well. What a lucky fellow!
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Reblogged this on Where Genres Collide Traci Kenworth YA Author & Book Blogger for all Genres as well as craft books and commented:
Like!
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