Windshield Refrains: Paths and Journeys

By Dr. Fred Smiley

In "Windshield Refrains: Paths and Journeys," Dr. Fred Smiley has fashioned a book of poems that relate to the metaphor of "life as a journey." He recounts in his poems the trip he took from one teaching position in Kentucky to another one in Montana. The first entry is an homage to a senior citizen he met leaving on the journey, and the last entry is a treatise on possible future days and events. In between, the readers will encounter a wide variety of people he met, areas and places he witnessed, weather patterns, and events he encountered, from white crosses beside the road, an estate sale, to a curious train he may or may not have seen. Though the free verse poems were written in chronological order, they deal with much more than just the physical journey he encountered. The poems' titles, pictures, and texts interact with each other on several levels. The titles offer many and various moods and contexts to draw in the readers, the pictures reflect portions of the titles or the verses following, and the poems themselves complete the entries. Some of the poems are witty or humorous, some are thoughtful and pensive, and all of them are commentaries on the grand and wonderful adventure we have in life. This thoughtful and engaging text offers readers an opportunity not only to read the various experiences of the poet, but also to compare and contrast their own journeys.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Sep 25, 2009
• ISBN: 9781462824922

Dr. Fred Smiley

Dr. Fred Smiley wars born and raised in Marysville, California, and attended local schools, graduating with a BA (English) from Chico State in 1966. His graduate education included MA degrees from Chapman University (Education—1973; English—1978; and SpEd—1982). During this time, he taught English and coached at several high schools. After completing his EdD in 1992 from Oklahoma State University, he became Professor of Education and SpEd at Cameron University (Oklahoma), Carthage College (Wisconsin), and Montana State University–Northern (Montana). At those sites, from 1991to 2019, he taught a variety of undergraduate and graduate teacher education classes. In addition, he published numerous articles, wrote many grants and presentations, established an online journal, and won a series of professor-of-the-year awards for his student- and community-centered efforts. Using his education and life experiences, he presents Sheltered Moments: People, Places, and Things, his third book of poetry, which offers a variety of thought-provoking vignettes of life’s diverse adventures.

Book preview

She Was Quite A Teacher; That She Was . . .

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Running behind schedule; late in leaving;

           Accelerating everything, especially the throttle.

Braking for the last light in town, I am leaving this blue grass country;

           Swearing at everything that tries to keep me

           here.

Stopping only for a gray-haired old lady

in the crossing path;

           Observing her walker, counting the seconds;

Smiling, she waved a gloved, shaking hand, and

           mouthing a thank-you, she stepped

           on into the night and my sight.

Moving only because of another enraged horn blared behind me,

           thinking now of more than the journey, I drove on into the night;

Not a day goes by I don’t remember the silent sound of her