The Door That Oprah's Poetry Contest Opened

When my sister found Oprah's Poetry Contest on the internet, she found a door that had long been closed in her. At least, that's what I think.

For some reason, my sister stopped writing poetry and songs about ten years ago. 

And finding the contest site for her was like something inside of her guiding her to it, egging her on to open that entry form, to fill in that box.

And that little poem she dashed off?  The Oprah Poetry Contest people sent her a copy of it.  She read it to me.  It's damned good.

Sometimes you hear about songwriters who have a big hit and when they're interviewed they say they just jotted it down while they were driving.

It doesn't make the song any less a hit.  And because my sister thought up her poem quickly--after attending an emotional event--doesn't negate her ability to reach out and touch others.

I think the Oprah Poetry Contest was probably somewhat cathartic for her.  It opened a door she had long since closed, and let her creativity, like sunlight, flood the room.

A Chance Encounter With Oprah's Poetry Contest Changes A Life...

So my sister's a semi-finalist in the Oprah Poetry Contest.  Now that I remember about her song writing, I'm not surprised.

But why did she stop writing?

I remember the last time I was visiting her in California, I suggested that when the guys get out their guitars and start singing, she should sing that Jack and Jerry song.  I just love that song. I said.

No you don't, Margaret.  You hate it.  You told me you hated it, she said with some emotion.

I was taken aback.  Well, yes, I had to admit, there was something about me in it that upset me.

What she had put in the song was true, but only due to circumstances beyond my control.  And it made me look bad and that upset me. 

But over time, I realized that's just how it was.  And the more I thought about that song, the more I liked it.  What I could remember of it, anyway.

I hurt you with that song, and I would never ever deliberately do that, she went on.  So I stopped singing it.  I stopped thinking about it.  I don't even remember the words, she said.

And then I realized that was the last song she ever wrote.  And suddenly I knew the power of our words--the power to touch and change people's lives, to create results we are sometimes unaware of, and the care and responsibility that brings with it.

I'm glad my sister's a semi-finalist on the Oprah Poetry Contest.  I hope she makes it all the way to sitting next to Oprah in a comfy armchair.  Because she cares about what she writes, and how it affects the lives of others.  And that, my friends, makes for powerful poetry.

To Be Or Not To Be A Poet In Oprah's Poetry Contest...

When I stop to think about it, saying that my sister isn't a poet isn't exactly the truth.  It's just been so long since she wrote anything...

She used to write songs.  Songs are poetry.  And not just the lyrics, but the music, too.

She wrote songs about us kids growing up.  Like: 
Jack and Jerry and I start runnin'
Runnin' through the cornfields, runnin' through the grass,
Dad's still hollerin' but he can't catch us!

And naturally, she wrote songs about love.  How did that one go?
You don't have to say how it is,
I already know.  I can read between the lines.

And songs about loss.  My sister knows a lot about loss, although you'd never know it.  Her outlook is so positive.  But she has written about loss:
Jesus, you have my son. 
Hold him till I can come.

Not a poet?  What was I thinking!!!!!!

My Sister Really Screwed Up In The Oprah Poetry Contest.

My sister is amazing, beautiful and inspiring.  But she's not a poet.

But one day she is cruising around the Oprah website and she finds a poetry contest.  On that page, it asks for your name and particulars and she fills that in.  Then there is a little white box all empty and pristine, and waiting for a poem.

But my sister doesn't have a poem, because she's not a poet.  So she thinks for a minute.

Then she types something in.  Takes her maybe thirty seconds.
She looks at it--it looks good, so she pushes "submit" and she's done. 

A little while later she starts thinking about the poem and wondering what she wrote in that little box exactly.

She goes back to see, but, oops!  It's gone.  Oh well, no big deal, nothing's ever going to come of it anyway.

Until a few weeks later, I get a phone call.  It's my sister.  "Guess what?"  she says, "remember that little poem I sent to Oprah's poetry contest? 

"Well, they sent me a letter, and guess what?  I'M A SEMI FINALIST!"