Mary C. M. Phillips

This month, I had the great fortune of attending the book launch for Linda Trott Dickman’s new poetry book, ROAD TRIP.

Written while she and her husband, David (also a poet), took a cross country trip, the book explores the “joy in traveling the roads and singing their song.”

I personally connected with many of the poems as I love the feeling of freedom during a road trip, the rhythm of the road itself, the sense of covering long distances.

I’ve enjoyed Linda’s work on the printed page as well as at poetry readings.  Her knowledge of poetry (she’s a retired librarian) is certainly impressive with diverse poetic influences, such as Lee Bennet Hopkins, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Gelett Burgess, Malcolm Guite, Joyce Sidman, Jack Prelutsky, Jane Yolen, Mark Irwin, and Dr. Seuss.

Linda’s poems are also written as poetic devotions: “From the very first poem I wrote, I had a prayer.  I wanted every first to be for the Lord.  My first published poem, Unretouched, was published in The Salt and the Light (a Christian literary journal).”

So, what’s next in print?  Here’s what she tells me:

“I’m excited, that one of my poems will be included in a new children’s anthology.  The poem was a dream come true from my longtime poetry hero, Lee Bennet Hopkins, who passed away this past August. I read him in the 70’s in college, I met him in the 80’s and we became friends on Facebook in the last couple of years.  I was courageous enough to ask him how one gets published in one of his anthologies and after he read a sample of my work, he invited me to write a very specific poem for a goldfish.  It will be published in one of his last anthologies from Eerdmans Press (a Christian press). So, my first published effort for children will be for a Christian Press!

I will love sharing this poem with children, as well as the other poems in the book. I am in amazing company.   During my many years as a children’s librarian, I taught poetry to children and they were among my best teachers!”

I’m thankful (as are many others) that she loves sharing her poetry too.  Below is an excerpt from ROAD TRIP:

Remedio

Ghost Ranch, New Mexico, For Camilla

Soft upon mountains

Gentle on arid land

Seeking healing elements

Woven basket in hand

Mindful of creation

Pruning carefully

Gathering but what is needed

Leaving some for the bees

Boiling, blending, steeping

Wax and herb and lard

Combined in a concoction

For those whose work is hard

Cota, torito, and garra

escoba de víbora gleaned

blended for aching bodies

bathed in boiled water for tea

hands lovingly choose them

planning for years to come

Honoring creation

Honoring God’s green thumb

– by Linda Trott  Dickman

ROAD TRIP  from Local Gems Press is available now on Amazon.