I love the idea that a poem plants itself in the reader’s mind like a seed. There’s a chance it may grow and flourish, remain for a while or forever.
When I was trying to think of ways to publish my poetry, I knew I didn’t want to go down a traditional route. I didn’t like the thought of my poems on pages, unable to move or change their order. I wanted something more organic and less restricted, and something I could do myself.
When I realised that poems are seeds for the mind, the idea of making seed packets became the obvious way forward. I take little plain brown paper seed packets, and letterpress print the title of the collection on each one. Then I print the poems (on the computer - letterpress would take too long!), cut them up into individual pieces, and put them into the packet.
The reader takes a little sheaf of poems from the packet, and can choose which one to read, perhaps put one in a pocket for later on, use one as a book mark, or put one on the fridge door.
The whole process is done by me, and that means that the packet goes from my hand to the reader, perhaps with one more step if the poem is a gift. It reflects the very personal nature of my poems. There’s no barrier between me and those who might read the work.
There are four collections; ‘Garden Seasons’, ‘Mythical Beasts’, ‘Haiku’, and ‘Blue Moon’. You can find them in my Etsy shop, or with me at a craft event. I loved writing the poems, and enjoy making them into seed packets, ready to sow and with luck grow.