Playful Courtesies

By William Flewelling

My poems sharpen my sight, so that I see better what is there to be seen. I will find some situation or image or nuance that catches my eye, intrigues me. Sometimes, that seeing lends itself as an image for me, and then a line, just one at first that, when written down, enters into a cadence, a rhythm, a sense of sound and echo that emerges into a sequence of lines that flow, usually quickly. And then, the lines stop, the images seem complete, and then they announce to me that the poem is complete. That is true whether the image is a raindrop, a face, a pose, a tree, a flower, a bird, a shadow, or the innuendo of faith or country - whatever. This book draws upon poems written some years ago, mostly in the years 2009 and 2015. There are also a few current poems that insist themselves into the collection as they are accumulated into the current year's file. As I revisit poems of years ago, quite often the occasion presents itself to memory - but not always so. Sometimes, that occasion is as if unnecessary and, indeed, almost in the way of the poem as it has come to be. Revisiting is always a pleasure; it becomes one of the spurs toward forming the collection itself. Indeed, it is the pleasure and the satisfaction in that book that brings it about. Satisfaction is such a boon to life.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Mar 16, 2022
• ISBN: 9781665554909

William Flewelling

I am a retired minister from the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) living in central Illinois. Led by a request from Mildred Corwin of Manua OH when I arrived there in 1976, I long developed and led a series of bible studies there and in LaPorte IN and New Martinsville WV. These studies proved to be very feeding to me in my pastoral work and won a certain degree of following in my congregations. My first study was on 1 Peter, chosen because I knew almost nothing about the book. I now live quietly in retirement with my wife of 54 years, a pair of dogs and several cats.

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© 2022 William Flewelling. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 03/16/2022

ISBN: 978-1-6655-5491-6 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-6655-5490-9 (e)

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Contents

Foreword

1. Out: Sister, Husband, Bridge

2. Perfect Accompaniment

3. One Young Rabbit, And I

4. A Greeting Allowed

5. Too Many Things To Think About

6. On Hurford’s Paean

7. The Settlement Near Dusk

8. So Natural

9. Relief From The Muggy Close

10. On Vaughan Williams’ Expanse

11. For Wind Chimes in B minor

12. The Lad Of Bursting Weal

13. An Argument For Neglecting Expectations

14. The Lass A Bride Of Seventy Two Years

15. A Swath About The Table Top

16. The Young Lady Come To Pray

17. His Chosen Ring

18. As On Her Own As She May Be

19. Taut Passing

20. The Pine’s Three Crows

21. Also, One Tender Knee Remains

22. A Rising Image In The Sky

23. Fain Practice, Fair

24. While Hoping For A Poem

25. A Non-Recurrence, After All

26. Lithe Greeting On The Side

27. Last Waiting To Begin

28. One Restaurant Worker

29. In The Farmyard Corner

30. A Portrait Named

31. One Came To Read With None To Listen

32. And It Would Fail Me

33. Angel Is The Name

34. Before The Pressurizing Face

35. Drying Onto Memories

36. At The Parting Of The See

37. Converging Over Days

38. As Lights Play Right

39. Peaches In Hand

40. While Musing Otherwise

41. From Dare To Be Remarkable

42. As Time Impels Impatience

43. In Differed Mode

44. The Morning Flair Appears

45. She Graciously Appears

46. And Then The Flash

47. The Seven

48. So Busy At His Play

49. The Bell Tolls On

50. An Evening’s Showing

51. Breath Mint, At Last

52. Edward Kennedy: Legislator

53. She Sits In Quiet

54. Head On Overhead

55. Burrowing Past

56. Coming To An Emptying

57. Upon Faure’s Cantique de Jean Racine

58. Considering An Idle Hand

59. The Prodigal Intact

60. In Quiet Rooms

61. Alum Of Thirty Nine Years

62. A First Of February Days

63. Dissembling As We Pass

64. Bird Etching Memory

65. Without A Fair Carriage Now

66. In Goldenrod

67. Imported Cry

68. Vultures On A Search

69. Efficient Directrix

70. For Oven Check

71. Caught Pauses In The Rush

72. Wide Swish Of Hair

73. Invisibly So True

74. While Next In Line

75. Converted To The Center Ring

76. At Corner Cast

77. White Magic

78. On Disassembling Crows

79. A Calming At The Rear

80. A Vote For Viva Voce

81. Commanding Prelude: Rubrics Installed

82. Rich Chocolate Morsel

83. Eternally Forgetful

84. Greeting Left Mid Joy

85. Upon Recognizing A Name

86. Toy Welcome

87. As All Is Right

88. Catching The Moment

89. Charpentier As Postlude

90. Brief Dramatic Passing

91. Violin With Organ

92. With Parting Pause

93. Attentive Composure, Facially Framed

94. A Life Become Of Make Believe

95. And Then The Lively Smile

96. One Little Girl In Arms

97. With Light Blue Eyes

98. Only The Hands

99. Getting Up From The Table Now

100. The Over-Effective Schoolmarm

101. The Singing Of Parry’s I Was Glad

102. Appearance’ Concentrated Form

103. The Daughters’ Welcome

104. The Chosen Oval

105. Intent Composition

106. The Three Sat At The Bar

107. Ridiculosity

108. From Glancing Over The Alumni Magazine

109. Engaged By The Unwitting Emissary

110. Remembering Yogi Berra

111. They’re Working Arms At Rest

112. Now That She Mentions It …

113. A Landlady’s Frustration

114. The Photograph Hung On The Wall

115. He Has Been Taught

116. Commandingly At Table

117. Adding Up The Day

118. A Noted Pose

119. Just What Is Middle Size?

120. Pause In Profile

121. Life’s Ordinary Way

122. Before The Stern Eyes Bore The Skull

123. Two Parents Of Little Girls

124. Greeting Over A