FIRST DAYS OF AUTUMN 2012

 These are the first days of autumn here in the Southern Appalachian Mountains. I like watching each leaf as it changes and floats the air currents down.  From my deck, it is heavenly.

SHORT GLANCES FORWARD AND A LONG LOOK BACK

Early in spring 2012, I had an opportunity to help bring forth the poetry publication of

Clarence Newton’s first poetry collection, Short Glances Forward and a Long Look Back. This collection  sparkles with humor, yet it shows the life of a man who learned that some pain never goes away. Some wounds never heal.  In “Examination,” one of his strongest poems, he writes: “ My beautiful, intelligent child has become a lost man.”  Other favorites of mine are the image-rich poems: “Damsel Dancing Sideways” about his wife and “ October Sands”, which leaves me with the eternal image of men fishing. 

Newton’s keen observation after over forty years in an aviation career comes through in his poems, whether he observes the human nature of pilots on a bombing mission or when he watches a hawk circling its prey. His appreciation for poetry gives us his most humorous and delightful poems: “If I were an English Major”  and his love poem to Emily Dickinson, “Dream Number 4001.”  The reader will cry maybe, will laugh for sure, and will keep turning the pages.   --Nancy Simpson

FROM THE BACK COVER OF SHORT GLANCES FORWARD AND A LONG LOOK BACK:

“The observant eye of Clarence Newton, his original way of encountering the world, often humorously and always thoughtful, invites the reader to come along for an enriching journey. --Janice Townley Moore, autor of Teaching the Robins.”

“Trying to categorize the work of Clarence Newton is both futile and fun. He writes in several genres, including poetry, light verse, fiction, and non fiction. A pervasive quality in his work is humor. Particularly in verse, the author is quite clever (as in “Froggy”), but he has a serious side as well (see “Short Glances Forward and a Long Look Back.” Clarence’s writing is entertaining at the same time it tells us something important.” --Robert S. King, author of The Hunted River and The Gravedigger’s Roots.

It is always a delight to read poetry that is playful.  And Clarence Newton’s poems are not only playful, but often have a biting edge.  There are no wasted words, and plenty of sharp and witty observations that leave the reader pondering long after the poem has been read.  A good poem should stick with you, and these will, along with a grin or chuckle, too. --Rosemary Rhodes Royston, Poet

Short Glances Forward And A  Long Look Back 

I am not half the man I used to be 

and I never was. 

The lumberjack shirts and leather jacket 

were not the person I was, 

nor pointy-toed cowboy boots, tight jeans 

and belt buckles wide as Texas gates, 

and a big hat that covered my shoulders. 

So many parties and so much boozing. 

Now whiskey makes a fire in my stomach. 

The women I loved have become 

pleasant memories like 

the aftertaste of bittersweet chocolate. 

When driving my car for an hour 

I can barely crawl out. 

The smile on my face 

helps mask the pain 

of joints that creak and snap. 

Wants and needs become simple: 

comfortable shoes, loose clothing 

and a soft bed to lie in-- 

to reminisce, to dream-- 

short glances forward and a long look back. 

Solace 

On a warm autumn morning 

sitting alone on Table Rock 

down by Bull Sluice, 

my day is relegated to nothing to do 

except succumb to serene seduction 

by the river Chattooga. 

Thoughts of yesterday stir my mind, 

memories of a long-lost love. 

After drifting down this river 

we frolicked naked in splashing water 

under rusty old State-Line Bridge. 

Maybe there will be a new love for me. 

Like children we will play in whirling 

pools and fresh rushing rivulets, 

will search for treasure among rocky shoals 

and dance barefoot in summer!s warm sand; 

new beginnings, new lives together 

with teen-like zeal, 

savoring love like vintage wine 

on Table Rock below Bull Sluice 

by the river Chattooga. 

                                                                                        

A Walk And A Talk With Myself 

Take a contented stroll 

in this earthly garden. 

Free yourself from all thought 

of time, past or future.

Search for the path 

that leads to falling water 

wherein dwells 

the spirit of Taoism. 

Pause and submit 

to insignificance. 

Be quiet in this infinite 

and unfathomable universe. 

                                    

Sit upon a rock 

or lean against a tree. 

Meditate and reach 

for higher consciousness. 

Know that you are master 

of little or nothing. 

Flow with the unfolding 

and pulsating of all that exists eternally. 

Damsel Dancing Sideways 

                                    

I see her through my window 

stepping gingerly upon green grass, 

arms in the air like an evangelist, 

presenting her dainty flags to the wind.

Tonight she will sleep 

in a sun dried fragrance that 

cuddles her soft, sensuous skin. 

She will join me in my dreams. 

Morning Glory 

Coffee on the back porch. 

Early birds sing wake-up songs. 

Squirrels trapeze between trees. 

She appears, speaking softly 

of beautiful periwinkles 

and cosmos swaying in the breeze. 

A hummingbird, within my reach, 

hovers above a buddleia bush 

patiently gathering nature’s nectar. 

Coffee warm-up? 

Yes, dear 


Nancy Simpson recommends this book. 
To buy a copy, or to contact the author, 
write to Clarence Newton
1951 Rolling Meadows
Young Harris, Georgia 30582

$12.00 included postage