GLASS RAIN—the poetry by Margaret Roxby
“END OF SUMMER” was found among the author’s papers.
KALEIDOSCOPE –an essay by Kathleen Roxby
“THE PLURAL OF “O” explores the one spelling irregularity of the English language.
THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS—the poetry of Kathleen Roxby
‘STATE FAIR MEMORY, NO. 5” was inspired by “State Fair Memory, No. 14” which appeared in August.
GLASS RAIN—the poetry by Margaret Roxby
“HOW THE ROPE TURNS” was first published by The Paper in 1972. It was inspired by a workshop held by a local chapter of the California Federation of Chaparral Poets. The poet was excellent at all jumping rope games. Double Dutch was among her favorites. The rhyming chants that accompanied the activity were another lure for her. “Building Blocks” (where at each rope turn another jumper joined in) and “Hot Peppers” (a game of speed) were versions of jumping rope, as well Double Dutch (using two ropes).
KALEIDOSCOPE –an essay by Kathleen Roxby
“IS THE LETTER “C” REALLY NECESSARY?” continues the author’s discussion of stumbling blocks in the English language.
THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS—the poetry of Kathleen Roxby
‘GAMES OF EITHER/OR” was written recently to accompany “How the Rope Turns” which also appears this week. As a child, the author played both these games with neighborhood children using her home’s wide porch and wide paved entry below as the playing field.
GLASS RAIN—the poetry by Margaret Roxby
“THE SEASON TURNS” was first published by The Paper in 1972. It was inspired by a workshop held by a local chapter of the California Federation of Chaparral Poets.
KALEIDOSCOPE –an essay by Kathleen Roxby
“K AFTER K, BUT NOT A ONE IS SPOKEN” continues the author’s series on the oddities of the English language.
THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS—the poetry of Kathleen Roxby
“ANOTHER SEASON LOST” was written in the Autumn of 2020 inspired by the record-breaking wildfires of that year.
GLASS RAIN—the poetry by Margaret Roxby
“DISTANCE RUN” was first published in 1973. Interspersed in this poem are childhood toys and games. The poem was inspired by a workshop held by a local chapter of the California Federation of Chapparal Poets. The “cry Barbaree” game was one the author did not really know but imagined from hearing the call sounded in the night and the running of feet, perhaps laughter, long after she had to be indoors. This was before child labor laws, so the players may have had no daytime hours for play. Margaret was sure they were all boys and the game rather like the current game of parkour with the children running and leaping across rooftops. Being a tomboy, she dreamed of joining in the game when she was older, but she never found anyone who would tell her about the game. It is also highly probable these runners were actually involved in bootlegging and “barbaree” a code word.
REFRACTIONS—a poem by Robert Roxby
“AUGUST” first appeared in the author’s anthology Reflections on a Lifetime, 2000.
THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS—the poetry of Kathleen Roxby
“HIGH NOON” first appeared in the chapbook Chameleon Woman, 2000. The author was thinking about a black and white picture which showed her playing in her backyard. She remembered dancing there in the sunshine while playing alone when she had no playmate.
GLASS RAIN—the poetry by Margaret Roxby
“I KNOW THIS COAST” was first published in RipRap, 1981. Strolling along the bluff above either Laguna Beach or La Jolla, California, the author was inspired to write this poem.
REFRACTIONS—memoir poem by Kathleen Roxby
“BELMONT PIER WITH FISHERMEN, Circa 1960,” is a memory from the author’s teen years. The featured pier did have a bait shack, but no fast food was sold there. She borrowed that idea from the Fisherman’s Wharf located elsewhere in the harbor. This poem was first published in Art/Life, Vol. 20, No. 1.
THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS—the poetry of Kathleen Roxby
“Orange Days” was written as a part of the author’s color inspired series “Singular Prism.” The orange days of summer for the author were miles of orange groves through which her family drove on their way to Disneyland. As she wrote this, she also thought of her mother’s shared memory of the wonder of receiving an orange in the middle of a West Virginia winter tucked into the toe of her Christmas stocking.
GLASS RAIN—the poetry by Margaret Roxby
“AND I WAS SEVEN” was originally entitled “Gold Light Valley.” It began as the opening to a short story the author was working on. However, when she shared this opening with her daughter, she was told, “Mom, this is a poem all by itself.” So, here it is divorced from its short story and standing on its own. Though it was inspired by the short story idea, the images and feeling likely reflect the author’s own childhood in the Ohio Valley.
REFRACTIONS –a poem by Robert Roxby
“THE INNOCENTS” is a memoir poem appearing in his collection Reflections on a Lifetime. In his journal, the author notes this is a “1921 first encounter with a girl.” If he is writing about himself, he would have been eight years old. However, the girl calls the boy of the poem “Joe” which could mean this is about the author’s best and life-long friend, Joe Nesbitt.
THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS—the poetry of Kathleen Roxby
“State Fair Memory, No. 14” was written as an exercise in a poetry class the author joined to support a teacher friend. The class was given a series of unrelated words (some of which were supplied by the class members) and told to use all or most of them in writing a poem. Among other words included were some of these which appear in the poem: balloon, cinnamon, guts, cotton, pebble, frog, nail, scream. Searching for a title, the author decided that State Fair Memory was not specific enough and the scene described was hardly indicative of the potential of the subject. But if it were the last of a series, perhaps, it would make more sense—hence the tag was added of “No. 14.” It is included this month since many states hold their fairs at this time.
GLASS RAIN—the poetry by Margaret Roxby
“CRACK THE WHIP” was found among the poet’s papers. It was written as the result of a challenge at her local chapter of Chaparral Poets to use childhood activities as a subject or inspiration.
REFRACTIONS—the poetry of Robert Roxby
“THAT OLD TIRE” describes an adventure of the author’s in 1929. The poem first appeared in his collection Reflections on a Lifetime.
THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS—the poetry of Kathleen Roxby
“One Hike in a California Summer” was written in response to a prompt in the 2021 workshop, “Writing Through the Apocalypse”, hosted by Marcia Meier.
GLASS RAIN—the poetry by Margaret Roxby
“WE DISCUSS THE BOMB” was first published in 1972 in Bitterroot. The poem was inspired by a conversation she had with her young son.
REFRACTIONS –a memoir piece by Kathleen Roxby
“THE LAST AIR RAID SIREN” speaks of the author’s thoughts as she experienced the changing war preparations of the atomic age in the years following the end of WWII.
THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS—the poetry of Kathleen Roxby
“THE LAST BATTLEFIELD” was written many years ago during the Cold War arms race after the author read that both the US and USSR had stockpiled enough nuclear armaments to destroy the world three times over. However, the first time she shared the poem with a poetry group, one of the listeners—whose husband was dying of cancer—saw her husband as the warrior in the poem. The poet has since refused to explain this poem when she presents it. It is included this month because of the anniversary of bombing of Nagasaki and Hiroshima, Japan just before the ending of WWII in the Pacific region.
GLASS RAIN—the poetry by Margaret Roxby
“A SPECIAL ART” was found among the author’s papers. It is included in this last week of the month because it is when many countries celebrate friendship, this week or the following in August.
REFRACTIONS—a poem by Robert Roxby
“CAMPOUT” was first published in the author’s collection, “Reflections on a Lifetime.” The poem describes a memory from 1929 when he was he was thirteen.
THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS—the poetry of Kathleen Roxby
“MEASURING A FRIENDSHIP” is a recent poem by the author. It is included because July 30 was the first proposal for an International Friendship Day. The United States celebrates this on the first Saturday in August.
GLASS RAIN—the poetry by Margaret Roxby
“RIVER NIGHT LULLABY” was found among the author’s papers and may well reflect her memories of the Ohio River of her youth.
KALEIDOSCOPE— by Kathleen Roxby
“GH WORDS, HOMONYMS” continues the author’s discussion of the oddities of the English language.
THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS—the poetry of Kathleen Roxby
“PACIFIC SARABANDE” describes a specific day as the author drove southward along the Pacific Coast Highway that parallels the coast of California.