New Review "Moth at the Window" by Barbara Bryner

Moth at the Window

by Mary Lachman

reviewed by Barbara Bryner 3/15

Prompted by the discovery of a decades-old cache of poems hand-written on scraps of paper, Mary Lachman has prepared a loving tribute to dentist and part-time minister Grover Washington Clayton, 1884-1959, a grandfather she never knew. The book is well-organized, beginning with a brief introduction to the history of Indiana, where Clayton's family had lived since the 1840's. Lachman has grouped Clayton's poems thematically between prose sections of her own memories of visits to her mother's family. The text is illustrated by many family photographs and some paintings, most notably “Moth at the Window” by the author's son. 

The insight into her grandfather's life provided by his poems is an enviable heritage to his descendants. Trying to discern a man's inner life through his poetry may lead to intriguing differences of opinion. Since many of the poems are undated, it must be difficult if not impossible to correlate poetic topics to known life events.

Some of the poems especially appealed to me: “Apologia”, “Room Within the Heart”, “Reflections on a New Year's Eve” and “Introspection”. Others seemed trite or obscure. Any study of the development of writing style and ability is hindered by lack of dates. Clayton must have been a modest man writing for his own satisfaction, not for posterity!

The book could have benefited by closer proof-reading in both prose and poetry sections. However, some of what I perceived as misspelling or awkward word usage may be a result of the difficulty of deciphering the hand-writing. Or it may be a difference in interpretation. (For example, is the title “The Mountain Trial” a misspelling-- or a play on words? Regardless, Lachman has produced a remarkable labor of love.

New Review of "Moth at the Window" posted on Barnes & Noble.com

Shared here a new review posted at Barnes & Noble.com by Kathrin Lassila Day - March 2015

"This sweet, moving book is filled with poetry and an especially personal variety of history.

Mary Lachman (a friend of mine) has combined her grandfather’s poems—a trove she discovered after his death—with her own childhood vacation experiences of the region where he lived. His poems are an intimate autobiography; her stories give us the day-to-day scenes of family life that, though they usually see print only in biographies of eminent figures, make up so much of the culture of a particular place and time.

In the case of Moth at the Window, the place is southern Indiana and the time the mid-twentieth century (with glances back to earlier generations). Every chapter provides poems of a particular theme, along with Mary’s memories.

Mary gives us just enough wonderful vacation scenes to make us wish for more. She had an uncle who “would spread peanut butter on sliced Vidalia onions.” She had an aunt whose bathroom was done completely in pink, from the tile to the rug to the faux-fur cover over the toilet lid. She and her brother were at her step-grandmother’s house one day when an auburn piglet wandered into the yard. Mary and her brother chased it ferociously, and must have come incredibly close to catching it, but the pig “scrambled and squealed and scampered into little crannies between bushes that we children could never fit through.” They lost the race, to their deep chagrin.

Mary’s grandfather, Grover W. Clayton, was a high school principal and a dedicated amateur poet—which today sounds like an incongruous combination, but it shouldn’t. There are more than 80 poems in this book, and although Clayton wasn’t Shelley (and who among us is?), he wrote poems of wisdom and feeling that show us a man with a great heart. The book has love poems, religious poems, poems about nature, meditations on death and loss—including the death of Clayton’s infant son—and many poems in which one watches a human being sorting out his values, choices, and path through life.

A few excerpts:

“The crown of life is confidence of friends.
It may be earned, but never bought nor sold.”
“Though it may seem to be a paradox,
We only keep the love we give away.”
“When the sun has set
And men view my life
In its afterglow,
May they truly say
They have lost a friend.”

Thank you, Mary, for a book full of warmth."

~And thank you Kathrin for your words!

Goodreads Winners Announced

Congratulations to the the 10 winners chosen from the 429 individuals entering the giveaway!

If you are one of the lucky individuals I will be sending you an autographed copy of Moth at theWindow within the next 3-5 days!

Please help me promote the book by posting your honest reviews of the book at Goodreads.com

The winners are:

1. Linda C. of Binghamton, NY
2. Melissa W. of Skokie, IL
3. Amanda B. of San Antonio, FL
4. Lynn K. of Winder, GA
5. Christina S. of Morris, IL
6. Marnie W. of Rapid City, SD
7. Melinda W. of Jackson, MI
8. Jennifer V. of Alhambra, CA
9. Karen K. of Stevens Point, WI
10. Brenda S. of Superior, MT

February Celebration

The amazingly productive writer, Joyce Carol Oates, author of "In the Region of Ice" and "Black Dahlia and White Rose: Stories" was once quoted as saying, “Getting the first draft finished is like pushing a peanut with your nose across a very dirty floor.”

Honestly that is how I felt trying to finish Moth almost a year ago!

But since we are nearing the end of February,  I am celebrating two things:  the 21^st birthday of my second son and the 2^nd anniversary of my day job in New York! 

Remember my Goodreads book giveaway ends this Saturday. 

Enter today! You could be the lucky winner of an autographed copy. 

The Faintest Pencil

Someone once said, "The faintest pencil mark is more powerful that the best memory" and that is certainly true from my experience. 

Several readers have asked about how G.W. Clayton’s poems were found in my mother’s home.  First, remember GWC was my mother's father, my maternal grandfather. Mom was a lover of writing, paper, and books. And, she saved everything.  Some of the poems were scribbled on scraps of paper while others were transcribed into a hardbound poetry journal for Jean.

Remember the Goodreads giveaway ends on Februrary 28^th.  There is still time to enter to win a copy of Moth!

http://www.Goodreads.com

Broderie Perse

The rose spiral broderie perse-style art quilt is almost complete. 

I created it to reflect my feelings for the poem "Acquiescence" on page 32 of Moth at the Window. 

GWC wrote Acquiescence in 1927 shortly after his baby son, Mason, died.  If you have had a chance to read the poem you will sense the grief of his loss. It is a wonderful and yet heartbreaking poem. 

The Parting Glass and Broderie Perse

I am charmed by the words of The Parting Glass an Irish tune that I heard on the radio yesterday performed by the High Kings, complete with bagpipes.

The final phrase is “Then fill to me the parting glass, and drink to health what e'er befalls, good night and joy be with you all”. 

I was enchanted by this phrase and carried it with me most of the day. 

What a wonderful sentiment. You might want to listen to it @ youtube.com  The Wallin' Jennys also have a version you might consider listening to if you prefer female vocals.

Of course yesterday was a snow day for most of us in the Northeast especially after the Governor closed the highways. I delighted in spending the day stitching fabric. I want to create an art series inspired by the poems in Moth at the Window.

The work in progress below reflecting the poems Acquiescence (p. 32) and Longing (p. 101). The technique is broderie perse which in French means Persian embroidery.  Motifs are cut from one fabric and stitched onto another. Additional images will be added to the blog as this work progresses.

Initial stage

Next stage