Mary Ann Coleman, poet and friend

In autumn of 2002, we lost a heartfelt poet and my long-time friend, Mary Ann Coleman.

Mary Ann's specialty was writing poems-as-prayers, and at this, one would find it difficult to best her. In fact, one of her most lauded intended-for-adults books was Recognizing the Angel.

Traveling about the land for many years giving poetry readings and classes in our area schools, Mary Ann always received a warm reception from the children--after, that is, a number of them had finished groaning at the mere word, poetry!

Today I give a happy Shout-Out to her wonderful book, The Dreams of Hummingbirds, Poems from Nature. As a friend of the family I am publishing the brilliant cover with its delicately beautiful illustrations painted by Robert Masheris who is the book's designer as well.

I include the first page to give you a hummingbird's eye view of her fancy--no, fanciful--signature, for you can see from the cover that mine is an autographed copy, natch. View the second image to see her autograph yet what you can't see is the warm hug she gave me to go along with it at her book signing!

I'd show you more pages with Mr. Macheris' lovely brushwork but he might fuss, and a timely google from your own keyboard may be in order if you're not familiar with his work.

Published in 1993 by Albert Whitman & Co, The Dreams of Hummingbirds has a dedication from the author herself: "For Sarah and Sean and for all who truly treasure our world."

Sarah and Sean are Mary Ann's grandchildren who were raised in Hong Kong but Sean has recently been in attendance at the University of Chicago.

Mary Ann's husband, Art Professor Oliver Coleman, was an excellent instructor at the University of Georgia where for several years he taught Color Theory, and was the first person around here--to my knowledge--to have truck with digital photography when computers were an unusual thing to have around. Oliver was especially fond of the Cayman Islands and had amazing exhibitions of his island photos. Sadly, we lost Oliver before the New Millenium.

Both Oliver and Mary Ann were very encouraging to me in my art projects--unfailingly so--and this Shout-Out to Mary Ann's lovely book is in return--and so that parents who are concerned with our environmental direction may inspire their children's interests by way of a book so gorgeously-crafted in word and in picture. 

It is my honor now to pass along into 2007 these words from Mrs. Coleman herself--it's the message she wrote to our children and which has a longing to be heard once again:

"Whenever I was outdoors as a child, I felt free. I was never lonely, even when I was alone, for nature spoke to me with bird cry and leaf rustle. The sky was a dazzle of blue; the wind brushing against my face was a friend's warm touch. The changing shapes of clouds formed my own moving pictures in the sky. And there were nights when I drifted to sleep to the soft tick-tack of rain drumming on our roof.

Yet I often took these gifts for granted.

Because forces have been set in motion that have depleted our natural resources, it's time for us to become caretakers of the earth. We must never think one person can't make a difference--often people have single-handedly changed the world.

Still, you will not be alone. Many are working to rescue our planet. Now, you could be a volunteer in a nature center or ehlp with recycling. Later you might choose a career as an inventor or work in conservation research. There are many pathways you can find to help preserve the wonder of our world.

One summer evening in the mountains, I saw a crowd of fireflies above a lawn, each one streaking upward in the darkness. A single light magnified a hundredfold became a glorious and moving sight. This vision gave me courage, made me aware of the force that we possess. Our individual efforts, too, can unite to kindle fires in the minds of others.

Our earth can be changed for the better. You have the power to create that change."

Mary Ann and I shared a similar childhood running wild in nature in forest thicket and on seashore and this sharing led to a deep sympathy between us in our ways of seeing the world and on a spiritual level even though we didn't share religious denominations...we both believe/d in taking to heart the Scriptural admonition to be stewards of the earth.  

And so you can see from her words why it seems more important than ever to consider our planet's true condition given our finally-in-mass-consciousness global warming issues--or the supposedly less threatening climate change, "if you will"--for messages such as hers should be passed on to the young folk for whom they were intended.

2007 - 1993 = 14 years have passed since Mary Ann's message was published (and ignored?) and the earth is certainly worse off. Many work and have worked on these problems, to be sure--it's the energy barons who've ignored our predicament in order to continue swelling their coffers at the world's expense who should be held accountable with their shareholders awakened to the dire need for a cleaner litterbox for everyone.

Now, without further ado or fussiness, I present to you a partial listing of the poems from Mary Ann's book just to whet your appetite for honeysucke nectar and such, and then I will chose one to type here for your perusal...and offered with all compliments to an earth--our Gaia, who could use all our aid without delay:

The Beat of Spring; If I Were a Hawk; The Lizard; Alaskan Summer; Thickets; Saguaro Cactus; Desert Evening; Return Favor; Deer in Snow; On Meeting a Turtle by a Gravel Road...plus she includes four verses of her Sea Poems.

                                                               The Nest

Her day's just begun--

the ruby-throated hummingbird

drinks from the blue funnel

of the morning glory.

Then, from her dream

she builds;

her nest

a spider's

abandoned web,

emerald green mosses,

pale blue-green lichen,

mud,

leafmold--

offerings

from the living world.

Spirits of ancestors

hover nearby,

spirits that speak from the dream,

guiding her, showing the way.

With movements more rapid

than the human heart can beat,

she makes a cup

for the flurry

of other wings,

for the cool,

quicksilver

light

each blessed

morning

brings.

--MAC (c) 1993

RIP, old friend, and may the earth be renewed as you wished.