Wednesday, October 24, 2012

A Poet for the Fall



This piece is long overdue. Sometimes, I am so inspired by a situation or by a person that I feel overwhelmed with the urge to write about them, as if I could somehow capture their spirit (or the spirit of the moment) in words. It can't be done, yet I still try.

Tim Turney is one such person- and meeting him was one such moment. In fact, he is one of the few people (Abbas Jahangheri of Serving Charity is another) whose first impression fades in comparison to the rest of his life. Tim's character is so rich, so textured, that not only can I not get a read on him, but his way of life preoccupies my mind long after our parting.

Before I knew Tim, I knew his poems. He is, after all a bit of a folk legend throughout the Seaway Valley. One of the local newspapers, The Seaway News, features him in their storefront window display highlighting local authors.

Tim, for his part, writes about anything and everything though, most of his poems are focused on the local personalities he encounters, the kindness of others (especially of his neighbours), comedic everyday events or the beauty of the seasons. Tim is a romantic soul; he finds love and beauty in everything he sees and in everyone he meets. So, naturally, when my mother-in-law showed me his poetry over a cup of tea one day on a sunny winter morning, I knew that I had to meet him!

Then it happened! One day after Kevin and I had been married a few months, my mother -in-law called me and told me that Tim was visiting! I gathered my notebook and camera and I huffed it over there as fast as I could.

It was one of those cozy moments where your socks seem a little warmer than usual, the day seems a little bit brighter and your mood a little bit more hopeful and chipper. I listened contentedly as he told me about his deep love for meeting strangers wherever he went and about how his joy was doubled when inspiration descended and he could capture the encounter in verse.

He spoke of the mystery of poetry; about how it could lift you up and carry you away before you noticed its arrival; he spoke too, of its elusiveness. "I couldn't force a good poem if my life depended on it. If I'm not writing in the spirit, it's not worth writing!" Mind you, the Spirit seems to visit Tim a lot more than most writers and poets; in the last few years, he has pumped out several books of poetry that are passed from hand to hand within this small community where "Tim Turney" is quickly becoming a household name.

When happiness was doled out, Tim certainly got a few more portions than most of us. Throughout our visit, He could not stop thanking God for his wonderful life which included heavy manual labour as a carpenter ever since the time he was old enough to pound a nail. But, he says, this labour was always complemented by the composing of poetry. An interesting combination, to be sure.

Among many other things, Tim got me thinking about my perception of my own life. If gratitude were my daily bread, would I be starving? My conclusion was that I would be a lot less plump than I would care to admit. Tim encouraged me most of all, though, to do what I love and to love what I do. "So many people are unhappy. I say, if you can control it, make the changes to be happy! It's more of a decision than people realize." I sensed that there was some regret in his own life that he was only now addressing. So I asked him about it. "I wish I hadn't worked so much," he said. "I was away for much of our young marriage." Tim then went on to tell me that he lost the love of his life (his wife, Anna) when she was just a young woman to a freakishly swift illness. Tim was left with small children to raise all alone, the youngest of which was merely 4 years old. He still speaks of her as though he met her yesterday; "I can't believe she chose me," he said with a wistful smile, "I'm a nobody!". He still, quite obviously, lives in the bliss of the newlywed stage in his heart. Maybe this is the secret to his effervescent outlook on life: a heavy dose of heartbreak. When you glimpse beauty and then lose it, I suppose a part of you rejoices that you saw it in the first place and that you will see it again, it's only just. Our friendship has spanned just under a year now and I can't wait to glean more wisdom from this special soul throughout the years (please, God) to come.

I'm confident that Tim will be featured in many future posts ...

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