Dear Tricia,
I have a little pink book with blue and white flowers on the cover. Its blue lines hold the thoughts and feelings of a younger version of me, a me that wrote carefully and precisely to record what was most important. It's not a journal, but rather a collection of the quotes, poems, song lyrics and other things that struck a chord with my soul. My own poetry is scattered throughout, recording the milestones - mostly moments of grief, mostly with boys - and associated emotions that on the outside I stuffed down as I put on a smiling face to the world. And then I stopped writing and recording. My last entry was April 1997, a tribute to my first "my" dog, Zumi. Not my family's dog or a friend's dog: my baby girl, whose death is a grief that still brings me to tears (including right now. Zumi was followed by Kimo, Jezebel, Shy Ann and now Dilly; my lifetime of shared furry companions. The others deserved poetry too, but my still unfilled little pink book sat on the shelf untouched.
I recently picked it up and read through it, with the wisdom of 60 years of living. I found that the teenager and twenty-something that put pen to paper created something that still resonates with me. And it was filled with your poems, torn out of ancient Cosmos and held in a manila envelope until transcribed into the Little Pink Book for posterity. Reading it made me consult with my friend Google and I found your website. Lucky me! Of course I signed up for your email list and then...crickets for a while. Then came your emails from "Tricia", almost discarded as spam, but thankfully read first!
Thank you! Your poetry resonates with me still. Tell me about what you loved at 17 that still brings you the same feelings of emotion today? (Maybe not a bad topic for a poetry class!) I would be remiss if I didn't share the impact you made when I needed it most. And you can still give me that feeling in my stomach, like when I read the last sentence of Big Points for Trying. I look forward to purchasing your books, especially Nothing Gold Can Stay. Know how you enhanced my life and reinvigorated my interest in releasing my emotions through words after a lifetime career of channeling my writing skills into preparation of Environmental Impact reports. I deeply appreciate your contributions to the world and to my life.
I’ve attached a picture of Dilly with my book, and a few cherished excerpts written by you.
I have a little pink book with blue and white flowers on the cover. Its blue lines hold the thoughts and feelings of a younger version of me, a me that wrote carefully and precisely to record what was most important. It's not a journal, but rather a collection of the quotes, poems, song lyrics and other things that struck a chord with my soul. My own poetry is scattered throughout, recording the milestones - mostly moments of grief, mostly with boys - and associated emotions that on the outside I stuffed down as I put on a smiling face to the world. And then I stopped writing and recording. My last entry was April 1997, a tribute to my first "my" dog, Zumi. Not my family's dog or a friend's dog: my baby girl, whose death is a grief that still brings me to tears (including right now. Zumi was followed by Kimo, Jezebel, Shy Ann and now Dilly; my lifetime of shared furry companions. The others deserved poetry too, but my still unfilled little pink book sat on the shelf untouched.
I recently picked it up and read through it, with the wisdom of 60 years of living. I found that the teenager and twenty-something that put pen to paper created something that still resonates with me. And it was filled with your poems, torn out of ancient Cosmos and held in a manila envelope until transcribed into the Little Pink Book for posterity. Reading it made me consult with my friend Google and I found your website. Lucky me! Of course I signed up for your email list and then...crickets for a while. Then came your emails from "Tricia", almost discarded as spam, but thankfully read first!
Thank you! Your poetry resonates with me still. Tell me about what you loved at 17 that still brings you the same feelings of emotion today? (Maybe not a bad topic for a poetry class!) I would be remiss if I didn't share the impact you made when I needed it most. And you can still give me that feeling in my stomach, like when I read the last sentence of Big Points for Trying. I look forward to purchasing your books, especially Nothing Gold Can Stay. Know how you enhanced my life and reinvigorated my interest in releasing my emotions through words after a lifetime career of channeling my writing skills into preparation of Environmental Impact reports. I deeply appreciate your contributions to the world and to my life.
I’ve attached a picture of Dilly with my book, and a few cherished excerpts written by you.
Lisa
Again and again, Tricia gets to the core…leaves you begging for more (if you can take it). The world is gifted once again with such a gentle soul that rips you from the inside out with her prose. Keep it up love, you are just getting better (not older).
your ‘down under’ admirer, Fred
Your poems aren't dark, they are pillars of truth and experience. Some will stand before them and see their own shadow. Others will stand before them, engulfed by the shadows they cast. And still more will stand just enough to the side to see the truth illuminated and the shadow that touches so many who share the experiences and learned the truths you share.
Jessi Purdy
It was a major international conference in August 2003 in Swansea, Wales. The subject was Historical Fictions: Women, History, Authorship, and the event boasted over 180 delegates from 24 countries. We discovered we were neighbors in the dorm. You were much better at travelling solo and I was delighted you were agreeable to sharing meals and shopping and conference sessions at the conference. I really enjoyed the event and it was nice to share with a like-minded companion.
You gifted me your beautiful book of poems about your parents. I returned to it when I lost my dad seven years ago, and again four years later, when my mom passed. The poems had metamorphosed into a personal experience.
Fast forward to last week. I am participating in a Memoir workshop and this session had us dabbling with blackout poetry. I took your book with me for practice. (Don't worry, I used waxed paper to create new poems from some of yours. I would not want to lose the originals.)
I looked you up just recently and am blown away by your writing. Wow. So glad we shared those days 20 years ago.
Even if you don't remember.
Nancy Peled
Your writing speaks to me as no other does. You inspire emotions that I had told myself were not important. My heart breaks for that child/young adult in high school; for that child in Grade Six whose dreams and aspirations were laughed at. I, like many others I am certain, have experienced similarities. I will hug that inner child with love and compassion. She deserved/deserves nothing but love.
The smell of a baby's head is one of life's greatest gifts. To this day, one of my greatest pleasures is kissing my grandbabies’ heads, even after a sweaty hockey game. My granddaughter is now taller than I. She has begun to kiss my head.
For most of what you wrote, the word that comes to mind is Love. Beautiful, sweet, Love. And for those other things, it is the absence of Love.
Sending you love, with much gratitude and appreciation for sharing with us your gift of poetry.
Sandy Joy
This may seem out of the blue, but I wanted you to know that you have been drifting in and out of my mind. I have always enjoyed your company on the few occasions that we have met. A few months ago, I read your writing: Melancholia, Without the Romance. I was so deeply moved by receiving these words that they have kept surfacing to greet me. Thank you for sharing this part of your life. It is women like you, who open your heart to others by bravely expressing personal experiences that offer courage to the vulnerable. Your writing was crafted with authentic precision and beauty. You are a remarkable woman. I am sorry that you have suffered in the way that you have expressed. It sucks. I apologize for taking so long to thank you.
Mhairi Gray
Kingston, ON
Tricia McCallum's poems encounter what “will not be known” over and over again, in a voice both quiet and unflinching. With humility and "incongruous grace," McCallum masters the art of seeing -- and reminds us as readers to look closely at what is lost or forgotten. A fugue of fleeting faces and moments, The Music of Leaving is a collection that deserves--indeed, demands--to be savored.
Jena Strong
Author of "Don't Miss This" | www.jenastrong.com
If you want to know something worth exploring through the various faces of humanity, pick up Tricia McCallum's The Music of Leaving and take a ride on the subway, sit in the cafe over a cup of steaming tea, go to the pub and lean in: see if these poems don't guide you and resonate with the people you cross hellos with along the way.
McCallum's interludes echo strains of how we piece ourselves together, "...the very process by which we retrieve the past/is flawed, random ...it plays fast and loose with/fact, detail, even colour..." with "yearning as fervent/passion as acute." But this poet carries us confidently. She locates the glue in the mundane, shares the lessons borne from strife and limns the borders of the roles we inhabit. These are not instructions gathered, but rather, questions posed so that we may pause, explore deeply, and take the overlooked in, "Why did I not grab every moment/And make it sing." She reminds us to not only inhabit our relationships, but to actually relate.
Amy King
Author of four volumes of poetry, teaches English and Creative Writing at SUNY Nassau Community College and serves on the executive board of VIDA: Women in Literary Arts.
I cut this poem out of a magazine years ago, and carried the copy with me everywhere. It is easily the most beautiful poem I have ever read, and I have a Bachelors in Literature so I have read a lot of poetry. At some point, during a move, I lost my only copy. I have been searching for it for many years, and tonight I finally found it.
I have been weeping tears of joy all night. I am now complete again. Thank you Ms. McCallum for helping a young girl through the profound suffering of losing first love. You are amazing.
Judi DeMonico
a reader, on my poem "Rewrites"
The Music of Leaving dramatizes multiple departures: emotional, political, geographical, temporal. Tricia McCallum’s accessible and direct “slice of life” poems are artfully shaped by the candor and compassion of a wise woman who has learned much from a life of curious journeying.
Laurie Kruk
author of My Mother Did Not Tell Stories
Poetry is not normally my thing but I loved this book and will come back to it often. I know I was feeling rushed in a few spots, and I would like to go back and read those again when I have time to reflect on the content. Even without doing that the imagery is so profound in some of them that I could feel the biting wind and sense the loneliness. A great read.
Miranda Wood
Brantford, ON
Tricia McCallum is a true poet! Her poetry is touching, I was very moved by so many of them. At Rest, brought tears to my eyes. The Music of Leaving is a beautifully written book. I look forward to more from this author. I received this book from goodreads.com for an honest review.
Gerri Watkins
Dothan, Alabama
This book is exquisite. The poems and artwork are beautiful! The essays are superb! If you haven't already guessed I really loved this book! Yes it is sad but I can relate to losing a parent. Thank you Tricia McCallum for giving me the honor of receiving this treasure from you. A must read!!!
Dusty Summerford
Warrior, Alabama
I couldn't help myself. Once I opened the book I read it cover to cover and read some pages twice. Beautiful, so very touching and alive with love, loss and memories. Each photo was placed correctly, very appropriate. I would gladly have given this book an A++. I loved every word. I hope Tricia McCallum writes another for all to read. Such beautiful, loving memories to carry with you. Thank you so much for the opportunity to read your poetry. I cannot pick a favorite but the father reading his book at her (mother’s) bedside is so telling, warms my heart.
Susie Spizzirro
Nicholasville, Kentucky
McCallum. Why have I not seen you before?! Have I been living in some deep, dark cave?
What an amazing collection of poems. A real feast for the soul is within the pages of this book! I found myself taking a much longer time than I should have to review this, because I was busy digesting and contemplating each piece. I am sure that my friends and family thought I was nuts as I continued and will continue to remind them to look for this book. I just can't bear to part with mine to lend them as I want to go back to read these works over and over again.
A solid 5/5 for enjoyment, composition and content.
Sharlene Munday
Whitecourt, Alberta
Wish I knew what year this poem was written (One of These Gray Days). I know I had it taped on my refrigerator for a couple of decades, and was upset when someone threw it away, which was about 25 years ago. I tried to find it online a few times, but didn’t have any luck, until today! I knew this poem by heart, and oftentimes I would think of it. I’m so glad that I’ve found it! Thank you!
Terri Rodgers
A sequence of my poems has been published in a hardcover book entitled The Music of Leaving Poems by Tricia McCallum
Thanks for sharing