Driving north on 17th Street 10 days ago, I watched an invisible--and very welcome--force pick up a white plastic bag as I waited at a red light. The bag rode a refreshing March breeze, springing gracefully across the empty lanes, unchallenged by cars or bikes. Then the light changed, and everyone in this fleet of vehicles moved on toward individual goals as the bag continued its journey.
Did anyone else notice it, the white cousin of the yellow bag depicted by Ted Kooser in his first children's book, Bag in the Wind?
The following day, a crowd of 30 gathered at Indigo Bridge Books to hear our
neighbor and former United States Poet Laureate, Ted Kooser, read from Bag in the Wind. I listened to this naturally quiet man--a man who gives thought to what he says--share his carefully crafted story with us. Once he had closed the book, he told another story: the story of how an accomplished writer builds his skills. We learned that he sought the advice of a distinguished illustrator, then used her feedback to hone his copy. The story's words surrendered a measure of their task to illustration, as the book's images assumed descriptive duties.
And I realized how fortunate we are. We live in a community rich with books, with the freedom to read and write (First Amendment, anyone?) and think about seemingly simple things. But in that simplicity--what happens to a bag "just the color of the skin of a yellow onion"--lies so much more. Our very values, our responsibility to continue using something perfectly functional rather than letting it litter our world as garbage, exist in the modest tale of a well-traveled plastic bag.
Thank you, Mr. Kooser, for spending part of your Saturday with us at Indigo Bridge. To those who weren't able to come, let this illustration from last Saturday provide valuable descriptive content from the book signing:
And, next time you have the chance, sit down with a copy of Bag in the Wind. Several years ago I heard Mr. Kooser tell a group of business writers that we all share another responsibility in our writing: we must honor the ordinary. Now, whenever I pick up one of my well-worn copies of his books of poetry, Writing Brave and Free, or this thought-provoking children's book, Mr. Kooser's agility in honoring our world's inhabitants, both animate and inanimate, dances before me. And I am swept away, much like a bag in the wind.
Wow, Marj. It sounds like we should be reading your work soon. This review is nearly as lyrical as Mr. Kooser's work.
I agree Aja!
Ted Kooser is just about the coolest guy around! It's awesome having someone so talented who is also so willing to be a resource to the community... He does a ton of stuff with UNL and some of the other schools in town too!