One way with art by Lauren Elder
One Way to Ask , as the title implies, is a lot about questioning, wondering, querying. In fact, I developed the form of the poems, called queron , with the idea of querying as a key element. This poem, "One way" serves as the opening poem. It sets the tone for the book. It has to be good because it's the hook. I am really struggling to get this tone right. I don't want it too hard to understand, but I don't want to make it pat and give the reader the wrong impression that my poems are direct as stand-up comedy. I want to talk about questioning without using the word question. I want to make the reader's mind slip without making the reader frustrated at me. This one is still shifting and settling, sometimes line by line, sometimes word by word. For all I know, the comments you leave right here might oust this poem as the opener before the book lands into print. But for now, "One way" leads the way into my book, with art by the amazing Lauren Elde...