Poetry reading a relaxing event at Village Books

<< Back to archives | Sunday, January 18, 2009

Many local citizens oppose the mixing of church and state,
but they may make an exception to postpone a watery fate.
Rick Larsen and our government are hatching a grand plan
to persuade NOAA to relocate right here in Bellingham.
I wish they’d shared their info on the coming rain and snow
so we’d had time to purchase boats and also learn to row.

But if torrential rain and deluge are to be our fate,
I appreciate their actions and hope it’s not too late.
Whether the voters overlook the church and state connection
will be settled during Larsen’s campaign in the next election,
but my guess would be if Bellingham were to take a vote
they would approve NOAA’s help to keep our town afloat.

By moving NOAA to Bellingham what becomes clear to me
is there are those who know already we’re facing catastrophe.
As rain continues and water rises we can take consolation
in the fact that NOAA is nearby, at anchor at its station.
So if the worst does come to pass the prognosis isn’t stark,
since our bay was chosen as the place to park NOAA’s ark.
————

A sample of the fun, amusing light verse of Richard Lewis, a Bellingham poet who will read from his two books at Village Books this afternoon - today, Sunday.  The time is 4 pm - just as the sun will be disappearing into the cold fog over Bellingham Bay on this cold January day.  Richard enjoys putting a humorous touch in his poems with the use of puns and word plays.  Sometimes he will steal a punch line from somewhere and build a poem leading up to it. 

Richard, on the phone above, mostly touches on local issues with his poetry.  Most of those in the two books first appeared in the Whatcom Independent weekly newspaper over four years from 2005 to 2008.  If you enjoy slowing down occasionally and just letting your mind wander to different places then you will enjoy hearing him read his stuff. 

He is part of the great series of Literature Live writers featured on several days each week at Village Books.  For these winter days, taking time out to get acquainted with writers - at no cost - is one of the valued treasures we have in Fairhaven.  We can take them for granted and we should not.  They are a rich cultural asset that we only need to take the time to enjoy.