FEATURED POET: Esther Altshul Helfgott: is a nonfiction writer and poet with a PhD in history
from the University of Washington. Her work appears in American Imago: Psychoanalysis and
the Human Sciences, The American Psychoanalyst, Beyond
Forgetting: Poetry and Prose about Alzheimer’s Disease, Blue Lyra Review, Chrysanthemum, DRASH: Northwest Mosaic, Floating Bridge Review, FragLit Journal, HistoryLink,
Into the Storm: Journeys with Alzheimer’s,
Journal of Poetry Therapy, Maggid:
A Journal of Jewish Literature, Raven Chronicles, Seattle P.I., Seattle
Star, and elsewhere. She’s a
longtime literary activist, a 2010 Jack Straw poet, and founder of Seattle’s
“It’s About Time Writer’s Reading Series,” now in its 24th year. She is the
author of The Homeless one: A Poem in
Many Voices (Kota, 2000) and Dear
Alzheimer’s: A Caregiver’s Diary & Poems (Cave Moon Press, 2013).
I
don’t know
what
the mountain feels
but
we liked watching
it
change—clouds came
seasons
went
I
wish I could find you
in
my dreams—
you
must be busy
—what
are you doing
that’s
so important
my friends help me
get up in the morning—
Lucille Clifton
does too—
—Esther Altshul Helfgott
WRITE YOUR POEM:
Esther writes in the spirit of the tanka. A Japanese word for a short poem, the more formal form became known as a waka. Unlike people drinking coffee in cafes and listening to friends, the waka became a formal poem exchanged between lovers set up over rituals around drinking tea.
What are your rituals? What drives you to write your poem? Make it short. Send it to someone you love. Write your poem.
