LatinosUSA

• Juan Re Crivello: Do you think poetry is back in fashion?

Selma Martin: Poetry is in fashion. Poetry never went out of fashion. Poetry is the fashion of our lives. Poetry is not something exclusive to books; poetry is the way we set a table, make a bed, and prepare to leave the house in the mornings. It is the way we pause to pet a pet or talk to a baby.  It is the words we whisper to ourselves and the encouraging words we accumulate as we walk through our day: hoarding our riches for a rainy day. How could those ordinary things ever be out of fashion? And the best part about poetry is, we don’t need to be poets to create poetry. So, I hope this concise answer speaks my poetry language about what I think about poetry’s presence in our lives. A better question would be, what kind of poetry are you writing today?

• JRC: Is your poetry created daily, or do you wait to be inspired to write it?

SM: Yes, my poetry is created daily. Everything inspires it! Do I always write it down, do you mean? No, I don’t always write it down, but I am creating poetry every single day. But, since I consider myself a publisher of poetry, call myself a blogger, and practice writing daily, I will admit to creating publishable works every day to share with my very small audience on WordPress. Incidentally, if creating and publishing were all I did all day, I’d never leave the comfort of my home, my kitchen table where my computer waits, or my iPhone. And unless I sought inspiration from the few electronic gadgets in my home, I know I’d tire of them and fail in my pursuit as a publishing poet. And imagine what such a sedentary life would do to my health and mobility!  So, I do not concentrate on sitting at home in the hopes of inspiration landing in my little hole. Instead, I get out of my home, go to the market, and later prepare food for my family. I go to the riverbank or the beach and soak in all I can from the water and the elements. I seek out nature too. This is how I create poetry. It nourishes my soul, and most days, my struggle is choosing ONE of the many poems I write to share on WordPress. Some never see the light of day in print, but they are never written in vain, as in completing them, they already benefit me. My days are complete, thank you very much!

• JRC: What is your next publishing project? Could you tell us how it came about?

SM: My next publishing project is still in its rudimentary stage. I’m not a slave to social media and tech gadgets, but I hope to read and record a few good books I’ve read and loved to leave for my granddaughter before my tongue and creative mind are silenced. See, six months ago, I became a grandmother for the first time. I look at the small human and wonder how long I will be around to see the transformation she will create in her life. I also wonder if God will grant me clarity of mind to be present to teach her the few things I would like her to know about what I know. In that respect, I want to have a little presence in the life of my granddaughter and other grandchildren yet to be born. I say I want to record because I want her to know my voice and facial expressions, but I need clarity, courage, and lots of insight on how to do that. I also hope to publish more books of poetry and perhaps a novel, and though books are forever, they do not have the fine touch of seeing me as I am in the flesh today. Wish me well, please.

• JRC: What city do you live in, and can you describe your favorite bar or café?

SM: I live in a city called Zushi, in Kanagawa Prefecture in Japan. Zushi City is situated an hour south-east of Tokyo by train. It’s a small, clean city with a peninsula that faces the Pacific Ocean and boasts a perfect view of the famous Mt. Fuji on cloudless days. In the main street of Zushi City, there’s a relatively new store that sells locally made clothes and accessories for adults and children. It also displays cute sundries, mostly made by locals. And long-stemmed flowers. That’s all on the first floor; on the second floor, it houses a quaint cafe with a wooden floor and vintage leather armchairs and settees around pine-polished wooden tables. It has large Japanese-style windows and old-fashioned bamboo blinds that invite daylight in. The stereo music is very low, if at all. All in all, it has a retro feel. I like spending my afternoons there. 

That Sea: In The Shadow of Rainbows by Selma Martin

When I reach out to douse the drama
drowning me
and you distract me with tall palm trees
swaying to your vent under the sun
and your refined fine brown-sugar sand
clings to me
I forget the angst I come to air

Then you dwarf me with your opulence
and chutzpah
I smile, fond of your ghostly gall best
but my words are guzzled the moment
they’re spoken
your bubbly cunning bids me close and
wets my skirt

Speak louder, you demand for you can
not hear me
hoarsened I exhort the pontic storm
Louder! you can’t apprehend my words—
if for a sec you’d calm your gruff growl
you’d hear fine

Strangely, the exert relieves me of
all pressures
I return home lucid for spewing
my angst so
there are no goodbyes, only cosmic
see-you-laters
my sea, your constancy relieves and
shepherds me transformed through the tempests.

Author Biography

Selma Martin is a retired English teacher with 20 years of teaching children ESL. She lives in Japan with her husband of thirty-five years. In 2018, Selma participated in a networking course whose final lesson was to publish a story on Amazon. After many failed attempts, she completed the course and self-published her short story, Wanted: Husband/Handyman, in 2019. In July 2023, she published a debut poetry collection on Amazon through EIF and subsequently, several poems in anthologies. You can find Selma, selmawrites, on Medium, Instagram, X, and Facebook.

Book

Most Recent Interview

“Perspectives on Being an Optimist: An Interview with Bold Journey” by Selma Martin