New Poetry Book!

"Time and Waterfalls"

by Wayne D. Swan

"Time and Waterfalls" is the collected work of poetry by Wayne Swan.

Containing a lifetime of experiences and observations, it exhibits a wide range of poetic expression and style.

From the satirically funny to the insightfully contemplative, "Time and Waterfalls" is an eclectic mix that will tickle your funny bone and touch your heart.

Wayne D. Swan is a Wisconsin native, living in Rice Lake. In addition to writing, he also has experience and background in broadcasting, acting and singing.
 

 $10. each
(includes s/h)   

              or you can send a check or money order to:

           Wayne D. Swan
         107 Noble Ave
                    Rice Lake, WI 54868

                                            ( make check payable to Wayne D. Swan)



 Thoughts from the author- "It only took me a lifetime to write it! "
"Foreword Writing, in general, is a way of recording something - a moment, a thought or a feeling. Putting it down on paper not only designates it as a memory in words, but is also a way of treasuring it, noting its’ worth and giving it the full measure and richness it deserves. I find writing – especially poetry – to be one of the more satisfying and meaningful ways of showing appreciation, making a statement, or validating the importance or significance of something or someone. Writing about poetry is a bit like trying to describe a spiral staircase without using your hands. There’s a personal aspect to it that can’t be explained. You either like poetry, or you don’t. You either write poetry, or you don’t. There’s also a level of subjectivity inherent or unique to it. A specific idea or experience may inspire me, but I believe in letting the poems speak themselves. If I feel the need to explain what I’m trying to say in a particular poem, then I lose the subjectivity in the poem, as well as the subjectivity needed by the reader. It was sportswriter Red Smith who said, “There’s nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and open a vein.” When you write about how you feel and what you’ve experienced, you give something of yourself the reader can relate to.

 A poet can write something that a reader can understand or appreciate on an intellectual level. But when you go deeper and risk speaking of pain, hurt, desire, affection – the emotional appeal – then the reader understands how the poet feels. If the poem I’m writing is something other than humorous verse (which still requires effort and attention if it’s going to be good), then I’ve got to dig a little deeper. To go beneath the surface or veneer of thoughts and objectivity means stumbling around in the darkness of emotions, using the flashlight of honesty to get a real and true look at feelings that normally hide under layers of defenses. The underlying truth of it all, and not just applying to poetry, is this: Cut open a vein and you bleed. We all do.

Writing is one of the ways I have of expressing myself, or letting myself bleed a little. When someone responds or relates to something I wrote, it serves as an important reminder that I’m not alone. I need to hear that just as much as I believe others do. No matter how isolated we may feel or try to be, we’re not alone. I’ve always been somewhat of an introvert. Later in life, I became an extroverted introvert. Writing helped me find my spoken voice. I’ve always seen myself as someone who wrote out of a need – not to create, but to express.

Over the years, my poetry became much more personal, both in nature and intent. When I went beyond imagination in writing a poem to create a scene and started writing a poem to describe a feeling, an event or an observation, it made an obvious difference. At the same time, I believe that my growth as a poet coincides with my growth as a person. I have always been fascinated with words, intrigued by their meanings, their nuances, by their power, their purpose. Some of that, I suspect, is genetic. Some of it is certainly environmental. Some of it, I’ve come to realize, is just plain uniqueness, a blessed quirkiness, if you will. It is also true that my growth as a poet corresponds with my growth as a person of faith. One of my favorite writers, Frederick Buechner, has said that, when he is writing, it’s like a form of praying because what he’s doing is listening. I have become much more of a contemplative person in my later years. Not only do I know I don’t have all the answers, I know I never will, at least on this side of Heaven. I still have a lot of questions, but I have grown to be a lot more comfortable in not knowing all the answers, and a lot more trusting in the God who does. Faith in God is not only a belief in the certainty of your destination; it’s knowing the Source of your strength for the journey." -----Wayne D. Swan February 20 2009 (c) 2009 Wayne D. Swan