Poetry Workshop: For Jack Powers

poetry workshop
for Jack Powers

at least one time more, please,
would i like to make your acquaintance,
would i like to sit at your workshop table
and learn poetry techniques from you,
like i did five years ago, one rainy weekday,
with three of your steadfast groupies. And me
a wannabe, though for a suspended second.
so quick with words and style were you,
spurring us four to creating lines and lines
and lines of poetry. And me a wannabe
trying to figure out how the three groupies
could come up with the verses they did,
i didn’t understand. i didn’t understand
until years later when i typed up this
poem in celebration of your 70th birthday how
their brilliances only reflect your spirit and
vitality and talent that only you can spread around
so gently and so easily and so intensely. an hour passed
quickly at that workshop with me stumbling to catch up with
your three young adult friends, writing lines after
lines after lines. at least more time - however
briefly – would i like to, learn from you,
take another workshop, be tuned into your poetic
world. thank you, Mr. Powers, and happy 70th.

pam rosenblatt 09.09.07

Pam Rosenblatt is a poet and an arts/reporter for The Somerville News.