Daryl Ann Beeghley
A love affair with words began Daryl Ann Beeghley's dedication to poetry, and love inspired her first poem.
"It was a homemade card for my mother with the kind of affectionate poem a 7-year-old would write. I found it many years later with other "treasures' she kept in a dresser drawer.
"I grew up in a British household where words, both written and spoken, were highly valued. Even as a child I adored the poetry of A.A. Milne and Walter de la Mare, and a trip to the library with my father was like a sacred pilgrimage. That must always be my greatest influence, the formation of this huge place inside me that is hungry for words. I still love the cadence and "music' of the old poets – Shakespeare, Donne and the Romantics. Gerard Manly Hopkins, Sidney Lanier and Rupert Brooke are also favorites. My nine years in Southwest Virginia have introduced me to the rich voice of regional poetry, with its directness and simplicity and sense of place."
With that love of words, Beeghley says she prefers poetry to prose because "Poetry is typically more compact than prose, and so intensifies the colors, so to speak, of the word picture being painted. It can run deep with emotion, feel very personal, yet maintain some of the mystery and ambiguity we experience in life as we search for truth. I use various styles, depending often on the subject matter. My early forays were typically more traditional in form and structure, but I gravitate increasingly to free verse, especially when I'm writing for therapeutic purposes.
"Poetry, like music, is a heart language. It speaks to us and through us. It can take up residence somewhere inside, like a gentle guest and companion that will sit with us in our darkest moments, help celebrate life's sweetness, carry our message to others. Tell us who we are."
Her most common themes are relationships and connections. "It's always personal, whether it's about another person or not. It's about connecting our interior life to the external world and runs the gamut of all our emotions and experiences. For me, life is a relentless pursuit of meaning; so much of my writing is tied to family relationships and my faith. And nature is an ever-present teacher."
For her, poetry isn't just of personal importance; it's vital to society. "We need that voice to bring clarity to our hearts and minds, to help us distill and understand life. I think people rely on music that way, and music is ubiquitous in our society, more accessible for many people. Even though song lyrics often read like bad poetry without the music, they help access feelings and facilitate expression. We need to introduce children to the joy of language, spoken and written, with all its possibilities for pleasure and expression, early and often. Home is the first teacher. The school environment should augment that, but sadly is too often fighting deficits, and things like poetry fall by the wayside. Creative teachers can sometimes use media to help children "plug in' and create a love for poetry. We desperately need to rediscover the art of being quiet in our society. Poetry can help us get there."
She tries to keep to a writing routine and make sure she doesn't miss her muse, when she appears. "When a moment of inspiration comes, I like to catch it like a firefly in a jar, else it eludes me. I keep a small journal I call my "Seedbed' for just such moments – something inspired by a walk on the Creeper Trail, or an Arts Array concert or an idea that pops up in a class. But routine is great, too. As Billy Wilder once said, "The Muse needs to know where to find you.'"
She recommends that budding poets read, gather inspiration from other writers, experiment until they find their own voices, find a good writer's group and be brave and start writing. "Keep your eyes and ears open, be open to life – with all its pain and wonder – and respond. Then share that journey. I have been enriched and encouraged by the writers in our Appalachian Center for Poets and Writers group, facilitated by David Winship, and have other writers in my family whose lives and words call to me constantly. Sofia Starnes, Virginia's Poet Laureate, has been a great inspiration as well through her workshops and writings. A writer's group can also help guide you to avenues for publication. Start small if you must, but keep growing."
Beeghley is also involved in music and studio art. "I have been singing, playing guitar and writing music for many years and find a direct connection there with writing poetry. In my 50s, I am trying to "reinvent' myself as the writer and artist I have always wanted to become. I make handmade paper, do some collage work, and am exploring photography and calligraphy. For me, all of that leads back to words, one way or another."
Beeghley lives in Lebanon, Va. She is active with the College for Older Adults in Abingdon, Va., and her poems have most recently appeared in "The Howl, A Literary & Art Review" for Virginia Highlands Community College, She is also a contributor to "The Nearest Poem Anthology" project edited by Sofia Starnes.
You can hear Beeghley read her poetry at the Washington County Public Library, Abingdon, Va., Sunday, April 27 at 3 p.m.
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grief
grief comes
howling
with teeth like ragged glass
tearing at my soul
yet
i do not bleed
like a phantom limb
throbbing with blood
that will not flow
pulsing with pain
that will not stop
this grief comes howling
and will not let me
die.
By Daryl Ann Beeghley 12-11-13
Printed with permission.
Musings of a Morning In October
I gaze across and see the holy
mount,
The clouds roll by and bring
autumnal change,
Whispering trees and delicate
chimes converse...
As days diminish, flowers sip the
sun,
Gossamer threads catch rainbows
and they dance,
Water shimmers as the Spirit
breathes...
The day rejoices, eager to impart
New mercies, joy,
The beauty that is Life.
By Daryl Ann Beeghley 2011
Printed with permission.
