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Joanne the Poet - The Poetry of Joanne M. Clarkson

Poem Set to Music

My poem “The Owl Hour” appeared this month in Rockvale Review Issue 6. This beautiful online journal pairs each poem with a piece of art. Four of the poems, including mine, were chosen by flutist and composer Michael Morton, to be interpreted in an original composition. The poignant, breathy flute seems perfect to go with this poem that is driven primarily by a memory of sound.

My poem is one of my earliest memories of my father who passed away when I was 10. A WWII veteran, he had started his own construction company and worked passionately so he wasn’t home much and I have a very few memories of intimate moments with him. But the Owl Hour is one of them. A fainting hooting at dusk always reminds me of him.

Shelley Thomas provided the ‘velvet’ as she describes it, art to go with my poem. I love that both artist and musician describe how the poem called their artistic expressions. I find it particularly thrilling when the Arts come together to create a wider and deeper moment.

Thank you so much to editor Sandy Coomer for producing this wonderful journal. You can read, see and hear my poem and the other wonderful work by going to www.rockdalereview.com. Click on Issues, then Issue 6. Scroll down and click on the artwork and the poem appears.

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