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Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer
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Poetry News

Three Poems in Imperfect II: Poems about perspective

an anthology for middle schoolers

by rosemerryt@gmail.com April 26, 2022
April 26, 2022

“Being human means to sometimes lose perspective,” says the back cover of Imperfect II. “We focus on the one negative comment we received instead of the ten positive ones …” I love the idea behind this collection—that poetry can help us put things back in perspective. If you have a young friend or child of your own who might need a perspective assist, consider giving them this collection edited by Tabatha Yeatts as a gift. Here are my three poems included in this collection: “Hello, Fear,” “Derailleur of the Heart” and “I Don’t Know.”

Hello, Fear

There I was, making tea in my kitchen,
when fear hit me like a school bus.
I didn’t need a scientist or therapist
to tell me it hurt.
I screamed: Arghh! I shouted: No!
But after smashing into me,
fear just opened the folding glass door
of the bus, yanked me on,
then plopped me into a green vinyl seat.
I’m scared, I said.
Yeah, fear said. ’Cause I’m scary.
Yeah, I squealed, as the bus careened
through the couch, through
my bedroom, through the splintering
dining room table.
What if I lose everything? I said to fear.
Yeah, said fear, what if you do?
And who will I be when everything changes?
Yeah, said fear, who will you be?
Then he opened the door
and shoved me off the bus
and I was standing again beside
the familiar green counter,
tea cup in hand, not a drop spilled.
Who will you be? he shouted
from the half open window.
I took a deep breath,
not knowing how to respond,
then stepped into my life,
determined to live into the answer.  

*

Derailleur of the Heart

Because our conversation
feels like riding a bike uphill,
I think of gears. I think
of how easy it is to shift
lower, how a simple flick
of the thumb makes the impossible
possible. Where are the gears
for love? There must be better
ways to use our teeth
than biting words. There must
be a series of notched wheels
in the heart that allow us
to move forward with less force,
some mechanism to make
the chain hop from one sprocket
to another, changing the way
we engage. I want to find that gadget,
those gears, the ones that help us
hear each other, the ones
that help us say what must be said,
the simple tools that allow us
to move forward at all.

*

I Don’t Know

Today, I notice something green
spearing through the dirt
in the garden, and only
because there are eight such spears
rising in perfect rows do I vaguely remember
last year I planted bulbs there,
but I don’t remember what they are.
How much of the beauty we plant
do we forget?

There is so much in me that grows
because of words you have sown.
I doubt you remember them,
I don’t remember them, either,
only that your words were kind
and now they have taken root.

Who knows what the flowers
will look like? I water them, though,
trust I’ll be delighted when they bloom—
into a garden of beautiful I don’t know.

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Praise for Rosemerry

Wow, what a great response to both your reading and workshop.

Almost with tears in their eyes. Really. I have to tell you what was most mentioned as your fans applauded you; your family life, your reactions and theirs; it felt and sounded so real and most all of us have children so we all could relate. Unforgettable, you are.

Kathy Berg
Cortez Public Library, Poetry Corner Presents

Rosemerry, thank you.

For the first time in a long time I was moved to be creative and to use writing as a tool for healing. I could feel my stagnation begin to melt away in the Light that was presented today. I’ve been freeing up some space lately and asking that it be filled with people and things that inspire me to be the best version of myself and that is exactly what happened today.

Jackie
workshop participant

Revel in your own creativity.

To participate in one of Rosemerry’s poetry playshops, or to listen to one of her beautiful presentations, is an invitation to revel in your own creativity. She welcomes her audience into a landscape of words with a generous and irrepressible spirit, and speaks with a boundless compassion. Her love of poetry reaches out and connects with her listeners, opening a space with her audience that invites them to consider themselves, and their art, and their world, in new ways. To hear Rosemerry share her poetry is a felt gift. Her listeners cannot escape being touched.

Melissa Stacey
co-founder and organizer, Writers and Scribblers Literary Retreat

I think you have shifted the consciousness of my entire client base.

For this, and many other things, I thank you. You are perhaps the most professional person I’ve ever worked with. I’m amazed.

Craig Soren Nielson
Rural Community Assistance Corporation

Insightful, energizing, and entertaining.

Rosemerry, thank you so much for your inspirational program. The members of the American Business Women’s Association in Montrose left with fresh ideas on improving their work-a-day world and smiles on their faces.

Mavis Bennett
President, American Business Women’s Association, Black Canyon Charter Chapter

Through poetry, humor & song, Rosemerry brings the room to life.

Her highly interactive approach gives each child the opportunity to become a participant in a beautiful, creative experiment. With the support of Rosemerry, children are allowed to shine, to sing, to be silly – to be themselves, and everyone in the room leaves with the knowledge that living in this space of openness is always a possibility.

Erika Gordon
Coordinator for enrichment programming, Ridgway Elementary School

An extraordinary teacher and gifted poet.

Rosemerry’s talents have helped me achieve my dream of more publication. But what is most important to me is that I have learned to write with more confidence and understand more about how to craft deeper poems about deeper subjects. I have experienced healing, safety, trust, and fun in working with Rosemerry. When I bring a poem to her, I know she will continue to find ways to help me expand my creative potential. She never runs out of great ideas.

Phyllis Klein

An amazing talent to open up people’s creative minds.

There is some kind of magic in your smile, your encouraging energy, and amazing talent to open up people’s creative minds. You have facilitated a bit of a renaissance in our building. I have felt warm, enthusiastic vibes from even some of our more reserved teachers today. Of course, the students have it now and are exuding the joy of words big time.

Vicki Phelps
4th and 6th grade science teacher, Naturita Elementary School

Rosemerry touched their hearts.

Our students and staff benefited so much from Rosemerry’s visit. In just one afternoon of writing with her, people were surprised at how much they learned about their writing and their own process. She created a safe place where people were willing to risk. And the performance: Wow. I’ll never think of a sonnet the same again. Rosemerry has a way of grabbing the audience and delivering poetry in a way that makes it feel urgent and fun. As one woman said, ‘In my work, I just touch the surface of people. Rosemerry touches their hearts.’

Ruth Hackford-Peer
Associate Director of Student Life, Adams State College

A Better Place

The world is a better place because of Trommer’s poems.

Colorado Central Magazine
cozine.com/2018-september/book-review-naked-for-tea/

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Word Woman
  • Home
  • Meet Rosemerry
  • Hire Rosemerry
    • Poetry Playshops
    • Creative Consulting
    • Inspirational Keynotes
    • Literary Salon
    • Poetry in the Schools
  • News
  • Books
  • Presentation Schedule
  • Poetry
    • A Daily Dose of Poetry
    • Words for You
    • You the Poet
  • Podcast
  • Get in Touch