“Wanna Play Marbles” up on Hotel Masticadores House

Thank you, Juan! I enjoy collaborating with Nolcha Fox on poems!

Nolcha and I have done marathon collaborations. One of us composes a verse on Google Drive and shares it with the other. She uses regular font and I, italics. We go back and forth until we feel the poem is completed. We each revise as needed.

This process has taught me a great deal about the writing process. Usually I belabor my poems. I tend to write longer poems which need a lot of revision. Also, my topics can get heavy, such as the grief work I did to complete “Three-Penny Memories: A Poetic Memoir”, which is about my mother, who had Alzheimer’s. Because I had to help Mom, my uncle asked me if I loved her. This question triggered the deep self-examination that the book explores. Was I helping her out of love or out of obligation? In this book my soul is bared.

On the other hand, with Nolcha Fox, I’ve learned how to express topics related to grief, loss, and aging in light-hearted and clever verses. I’ve learned to trust my skills as a poet and not cling to the verses I write – or the emotions explored. Magically, we now have a book!

I hope you enjoy the poem!

Wanna Play Marbles? by Nolcha Fox and Barbara Leonhard