"Story of a Past" and an interview with its Author

Credit to Jonathan Larson on Unsplash

This past week, I was honored to interview a friend of mine named Eliza. She enjoys writing poetry (probably much more than I) and has agreed to share one of her poems on my blog. Before I share it, though, I would like to give you a Q & A that Eliza and I had. In it, she shares both about some of her favorite poems and how poetry has strengthened her journey with the Lord.

I really enjoyed this Q & A. One of my favorite things is finding other young artists who are interested in sharing true beauty with the world. My post on Kari Novilla was a post about one such person, and I hope to do more in the future. Stay tuned for that, but, in the meantime, enjoy this interview with Eliza!

Welcome Eliza! I hope that you can answer a few questions before sharing your poem.

Of course!

What is one way you’ve drawn closer to the Lord in your journey of writing poetry?

   One of the biggest ways, for me, is taking a thought or piece of insight that I receive from the Lord and turning it into poetry. When more comes—and I end up, very frequently, turning that specific idea and thought into a poem—it’s very special to write the poetry from the thought I’ve gotten. Knowing that neither the thought nor poem came only from my own thoughts or ideas has always felt very personal to me…and therefore, it’s been one of the ways I’ve been strengthened in the Lord.

People differ in their opinions as to whether or not the Psalms are poetry. What do you think? Do you have a favorite?

I do believe that some of them, if not all, are poetry…because of the apparent state of mind of the writers of the psalms, based on their writing in the psalms. I often see the same way of writing thoughts, ideas and mindsets as I see in other poems and older pieces of poetry. I see a purposefully poetic way of describing the things that may have seemed a lot less than poetic. But I also think it depends on how you look at the Psalms…and if you see that the psalmist meant for their writing to be poetry, or vice versa. 

And while there are a few psalms that mean a lot to me, my favorite is Psalm 91.

There are lots of styles of poetry since the early 1900s…the style of free verse is especially popular. What are your thoughts on this style? Do you prefer rhythm and rhyme? Or free verse and the liberties one receives when writing in that style?

I usually prefer rhythm and especially rhyme, but I also value poems that are beautiful even when not having the flow of rhyming lines, or meter either. I would say that most of the time I love and usually prefer poetry that rhymes seemingly effortlessly and appears so perfect…but some poetry is an exception. (For example, I like the poem “Mending Wall” by Robert Frost.)

Do you prefer any famous poets? If so, can you name a specific poem that means a lot to you?

Well in a way, yes, to both questions, but in others no. First, I don’t really have favorite poets, actually, but I do have books that have poetry inside them and both the books and author are special to me. I want to mention those first since they are the most special…but they are not specific poems by themselves. One of the books is the complete Brambly Hedge by Jill Barklem, which includes pieces of poetry—as well as adorable and stunning illustrations (she illustrated her book) of nature and Brambly Hedge. And then, the list of poems I like is always growing as far as a specific poem, but I would say, again, that right now the poem “Mending Wall” by Robert Frost is my favorite.

Are there any specific things you have learned to do in order to get out the best poetry?

I ask myself this also, sometimes…and I believe it is the act of, as soon as I get a thought and I turn it into a line of poetry, continuing to build on that sporadic line, in line with my train of thought. I don’t normally sit down thinking: “I’m going to think of something and write poetry about it,” but I instead look and watch for beauty and meaningfulness in surrounding life, and inspiration for poetry follows thoughts while I do that. I love beauty and describing it even more. This is one of the biggest reasons I write poetry. I also turn thoughts into tidbits of poetry very often…mostly writing it down, but sometimes just thinking it, when I can’t write it down. I find that doing that keeps me in a consistently poetic state of mind.

Out of all the poems you’ve written, why have you chosen to share this one? Does it mean anything special to you?

The poem I’m sharing is one that I wrote while in the middle of a train of thought about a past memory. Its message is about triumphing over something…and the thing changing from something bad to something good. It is really an interpretation of the memory, or the collection of them…through a certain period of time. I liked how it relays the dramatic change that took place in my life…and while it was personal to a memory of mine, I also wrote it as something others could largely benefit from. One of the things that make certain poems extra special for me is when they are reminiscent of a past time, not present…and when the outlook it portrays in reminiscence is not the one that was held in the past.

𝓢𝓽𝓸𝓻𝔂 𝓸𝓯 𝓪 𝓟𝓪𝓼𝓽

Oh, taste of the restlessness from

 whence you have now come.

Where groanings yielding selfishness

 had risen yet not won.

Hear the call to joy, healing, that 

 awaits after the fight.

As strivings succumb and retreat 

Quickly out of sight.

And listen to the empty void that rises

 in its wake.

Until the binding walls break

 and stronghold towers quake.

For as the overtaking chains, unyielding,

 suddenly then fell,

Mournings turn to music, dancing;

 broken, freed, from the spell.

~Eliza Grace (2024)

I'd love to hear from you! What is one of your favorite poems? Or perhaps your favorite poet? Please share in the comments below. Eliza and I would love to know.