(in memory of Pat Schneider)
I did not expect her to drop in this morning,
did not expect her to squeal with little-girl glee
when her name was invoked through the ether.
But there she is, her eyes doing their happy dance
as another poet reads her poem about the patience
of ordinary things, and the unexpected happens:
At her line “the lovely repetition of stairs,”
I feel the soles of my feet on the worn planks
in her yellow house on McClellan Street,
negotiating the narrow wooden stairs that
received the bottoms of shoes, making
my way up to the little blue guest room
with its generous window looking into
the umbrella of a summer-leafed tree
beginning to think about fall. And she
sits downstairs in her office, where
I will soon descend, notebook in hand,
pausing at the threshold to see her
standing at the open window, setting out
seed for the birds, a moment so tender
I cannot speak, but stay silent, watching,
not wanting to startle. Then she turns
and smiles, and I do, too, before we turn
together to the work at hand. It’s in that
ages-ago twinkling that I linger,
the then that seemed so ordinary,
which, of course, was extraordinary,
which, of course, I did not understand
until this time that I think of as now.
•••
You can read Pat Schneider’s poem “The Patience of Ordinary Things” here.
With thanks to poet James Crews for including Pat Schneider’s poem, “The Patience of Ordinary Things” as part of his December Monthly Pause session. She was a dear friend and mentor, and I have no doubt she was gleeful about that from her place, as she liked to say, in the mystery.
•••
You can also watch a 24-minute video podcast of an interview with Maureen Buchanan Jones (former executive director of Amherst Writers & Artists and now its director of trainings) remembering Pat Schneider and reflecting on the AWA method here.
Güd wrtr 
So beautiful. Thank you for taking me there, a place I’ve heard so much about.
It’s early morning here and time to write, so I’ll send my thoughts to you.
For the first time in 20 years my husband and I are spending our winter here in the US (not Turkiye). A freak fall in my sleep on has our travel plans on hold for at least three months.
So grateful that we are near our daughter while my broken upper right arm heals ( non-surgically).
Grateful too that one of my sisters lives 15 minutes away. She took me two months ago to a lively NoKings in her small town, and this weekend for a much needed haircut and threading at her favorite Portuguese salon.
Grateful too that my visit to the trauma unit at RI Hospital gave me such excellent care. Grateful too for their help in getting me a PCP when none seemed available otherwise.
Grateful too that I am left handed and can still write long handed as well as hunt and peck.
So much to be thankful for as we approach the solstice and the holiday festivities.
Hopeful that I may be able to join Maureen in Amherst in February for another AWA writing retreat.
Thanks again for your tribute to Pat. Thanks too for listening.
Martha
Martha K.S. Patrick Pawtucket, Rhode Island, USA & Gümüşlük, Muğla, Turkiye
*Gönülden gönüle yol** vardır. *Turkish Proverb From one heart to another there is a path.
Thank YOU, Martha, for your generous response (which Pat would love!) and lovely list of gratitudes. Wishing you speedy and easeful healing.
And oh, I’ll envy you spending time with Maureen Buchanan Jones (the person who best embodies Pat Schneider’s finest qualities, and whom Pat dearly loved) for a retreat!
Beautiful. Thank you.
Thank YOU, Renee!
Lovely.
Thanks, Amrita!