Patry Francis ~ Through the Language of Poetry ~

Patry with her daughter Nellie

Interviewed and Written by Gulnaz

Patry Francis a sparkling poetess. I came across her poetry blog, Waitress Poems, some time back and was immediately struck by the depth of her feeling and by the mastery of her art. She writes with a big heart and she writes in simple words. There are worlds in her poems. You see your own shadows in those lines and people you might have known and feelings which you might have had but never quite expressed them so.

When Nasra of iamnasra asked me to interview a poet of my choice, I decided upon Patry Francis as I would like her poetry to be read by even more and I am sure that whoever reads her will enjoy her words as much as I do.

Patry Francis lives in the U.S. on the south coast of Massachusetts. She told me that though she has done a few courses in poetry and writing while she was in college, she is mostly self-taught, which to me is another proof of her inherent talent and individual style.

Czeslaw Milosz, Cesar Vallejo, Adam Zagajewski and Mary Oliverare some poets she tremendously admires and would love to be influenced by them but she modestly adds, that she does not think she is influenced by any of the above which is perhaps the reason for her uniquely simple and profound style of writing. She knits layers and weaves images and thoughts with her words.

When I asked her if there is a specific style of poetry which she enjoys, she said, “I like what they call "accessible poetry," but I'm willing to work hard to understand a poem if the poet has something meaningful to say.”

Speaking form a layman’s point of view, I have often wondered if there was a correct way of enjoying poetry as it is usually something people are too much in awe of to, truly enjoy. So I put the question to her. She answered, “A poem should be immediate enough to strike at the heart on first reading it, but deep enough to reward the return reader.” This is so true. The poems, which I have liked, have captivated me from the start but have reaped more when read again.

At what age did you start writing? Patry says, “As soon as I mastered the alphabet.” I smile to myself as I imagine little Patry writing rhymes in her childlike writing, pushing her lovely curls away from her face. What a joy, she must have been to her parents, I think to myself. The first poem she remembers writing is when she was eleven. “I was eleven and lying on the summer grass in my back yard, staring up at the overturned bowl of sky. Suddenly, I was desperate to put my yearning and my love for the earth on which I found myself into words. The result was the first poem I can remember writing,” tells Patry.

Writing is a solitary work yet we all crave appreciation, so my next question was if she wrote for herself or for her audience. She explained, “I write to satisfy my creative instinct, but then I want to go out and hand out my poems on the street--if that what it takes. My intended audience is anyone who loves poetry, and maybe even a few who don't think they do.

Ones work is a creative result of one’s surrounding influences and I was curious to know what her creative influences were. She showed her vast horizon by answering thus, “They are very broad. I'm influenced by music and conversation and theatre, and of course by all the wonderful poets I read--some published and famous, others friends who I've met on the Internet--like you, Gulnaz!” Thank You Patry, I am going to cherish that!!

What do you want your readers to take from your poetry, Patry? “A Poem should make the reader look closer, listen more acutely, feel more deeply.” Once again I was stuck by how simply she states the most profound. We need people in this world who can make us appreciate this world and one another by their work.

There are many of us involved in creative pursuits and her answer to how she approaches creation, is something we can all learn from:

“For me creation is a four step process:

1. Write joyfully and freely without judging yourself.
2. Put the piece aside for a while.
3. Return to it and polish it till it shines in the dark.
4. Give it away!”

Rejection and Appreciation both can be dangerous if not handled properly and I was eager to know how she dealt with them. She answered with her inimitable charm and wisdom; “When a poem is accepted, I do a little dance around the living room with my Jack Russell; I kiss my husband, and make a special "lucky" dinner. Rejection, on the other hand, is a less celebratory occasion. It is, however, often instructive. When a poem is rejected many times--say 25--I print it out and examine it line by line. If I still feel it is a worthwhile poem, I send it out 25 more times. If not, I silently thank the editors who rejected it for teaching me something about myself and my work.”

Ever since I started my blog, I have looked upon it as a form of release. I asked Patry’s view on this, she said, “I can't imagine how anyone gets through the difficulties of life without it!” So anyone out there, reading this and looking for a form of expression has found his or her answer.
Patry’s work has been published in literary magazines but I wanted to know what difference did the internet make to her readership as this is how I came across her work, on the other side of the world.

“I love being published in literary magazines, but I never know how the readers are reacting to my work. On the Internet, the reaction is direct and visceral. And what's more, I can then visit their blog or home page. In that way, writing is no longer a one-sided activity, but a true interaction. I've also met people from all over the world; and through the language of poetry, we've discovered that the distance between us is nothing but a rumor.”

People often mistake the need for appreciation with the hunger for fame. Patry not being one of those people, delineated the difference between the two with her answer; “The thrill of seeing your words and your name in print eventually diminishes, but the experience of connecting with one perceptive reader through a poem never does. It is like entering a previously unknown heart and being received with joy. Nothing can compare to that.”

This brings me the interview to a close and I am left with her words, “that the distance between us is nothing but a rumor.” I hope you have enjoyed reading this interview as much as I have enjoyed bringing it to you.

A WHITE SHIRT

Later it will hang in a dark closet
beside your blue suit. When you
wear it, it will stand between
the lies you tell the world
and your heart.
But now, dangling on the line,
autumn’s slow conflagration
sparking behind it,
it has shaken off your claims
of ownership.
Startled with sun,
the wind captured in one swollen sleeve,
it is the purest thing on the landscape;
it is the Holy Ghost
come out to stir the flames.

First appeared in The Tampa Review