Are you a wannabe poet? How can you be a good steward of a gift like this? Just ask Chris Bunsey of St. Barnabas parish.
Chris taught English for thirty years and then, almost the minute he retired, he bought a word processor and started writing in a disciplined way. Hes written over 300 poems, 60 of them published, and regularly participates in poetry readings at local bookstores and in Poetry Slams. (A Slam is a no-holds-barred competition among poets judged by five or so people from the audience, usually in a bookstore or a bar.) Hes not self-conscious about describing himself as a performing poet, and definitely enjoys the experience.
After his beloved wife Maryellen died about a year ago, Chris found that phrases of the prayers and songs at Mass led to reflection on his marriage:
Without seeing you,
I love you.
Without touching,
We embrace.
(I hold you in my heart, Dear,
always very near.)
Chris works as a steward of his craft in between his other involvements at St. Barnabas where hes been a parishioner for 43 years. Hes a lector, Eucharistic minister, member of the parish Mission and the Art committee. He teaches PSR and has been involved in Pre-Cana and the RCIA. He also usually writes this newsletter for the Stewardship Office. Just by listing all Chris involvements, you can imagine the discipline his day demands in order to give him time to spend on poetry. To pique the interest of other poets he recommends Garrison Keillors anthologies Good Poems and More Good Poems.