The poems in this book are about ordinary life; things we see every day. Whether they are ants crossing our kitchen counter like the military, or the sound of water over rocks, an unannounced cry from the nursery, the hummingbird sucking up sugar water, my antique car with top and windows down. Sometimes it can be a mere trifle; a bird with a twig in its mouth, a flower rising from the underside of the large rock I sit upon; it can be the sudden rustle of wings from a cornfield. The subjects for poetry are everywhere among the living walkways of animated life, even in the solitude of the stones lying at my feet. One of my first published poems was about a high school girl that someone referred to as "common." In the sense it was spoken there is no such word as "common!" Nor for that matter is anything in life "common." To me life is uncommon. It is lyrical and full of surprise. This became clear to me when I heard Dylan Thomas read "A Child's Christmas in Wales." I loved the rhythmic flow of his words and the emotions they evoked. When writing my own poems, I fell into his cadence and rhythmic patterns to such a degree that I had to stop listening to the musical allurement of his words and begin to search for my own voice. I moved on to other poets whose meter and cadence also influenced the forms I chose. Among these were Richard Wilbur, James Dickey, W. B. Yeats and Emily Dickinson. These poets and others helped me to see that poems flow more freely when unencumbered by needless limitations i.e., fear of punishing criticism, a single way to look at the poem, punctuation and forms that may inhibit both reader and poet. There were also other poets who influenced me. William Butler Yeats taught me about the sound in poetry. For Yeats it was not enough to simply choose the right words in their best order, but the right sounding words. Robert Frost referred to sound as the "gold in the ore." I am convinced that I never felt more alive or had more enthusiasm for the things around me, than when my eyes actually - looked out - and - listened to - the natural and human world - and heard what it had to say. In the Hebrew story of creation, Adam and Eve were asked by God to care for the earth. God said, "till it and keep it." It fascinates me that the word in the Hebrew, "Shamar" means not only "to keep," it also means "to observe." Suddenly I became aware that I am put on this planet to observe both the human and natural world. I am here to look at life as I really see it. How else could life teach me about being truly human? Observe - Look - See! These three words influence my poetry. I put them on my refrigerator to remind me that all of life is to be observed - looked at - listened to. I am convinced that looking closely at the human and natural world makes me more alive. I find that poetry is only true for me when I am fully present in the moment. It is in that moment when the "commonplace" is looked at and observed that I can feel what it is to be a living creature.
About the Author: ARTHUR MAMPEL'S interest in poetry began early enough; according to his mother it started in the first grade. But his love of language began even before that time when his father would read to him verses from Edgar Allan Poe, William Shakespeare and Robert Frost. Later when Arthur attended grade school, the class assignment was to memorize several poems and this he did with a passion. Words began to form wonderful images in his imagination and he discovered that, when weaved together in surprising ways, the sweet pleasure of their sound filled his ears and thus began his interest in poetry. After graduating from seminary, Arthur was introduced to some major and contemporary poets who would recite and read their poetry at the University of Minnesota. During that time his friend, Bruce Carlson, encouraged him to not just read poetry, but to write it. He found working that with words was so addictive he could not help himself. He began putting them together to see what they would say. While serving as a pastor on the island of Kauai, he produced his first chapbook of poetry. Six more chapbooks and two books of poetry followed, including this title. Several of his poems were then discovered and set to music by the composers Libby Larsen, Carol Sams, Frank Trujillo and Rene Clausen. Mampel has given readings at Augustana College, Saint Ambrose College, Walker Art Museum of Minneapolis, and the University of Puget Sound. His poems were published in The Negro Digest (1968), United Church Herald (1969), A.D. Magazine (1978), Communique Art & Entertainment (1986), and The Pietisten (several times). He has conducted workshops for "Young Authors" for six years at Seattle Pacific University.