Joan McNerney

Night

Slides under door jambs
pouring through windows
painting my room black.

This evening was spent
watching old movies.
Song and dance actors
looping through gay,
improbable plots.

All my plates are put away,
cups hanging on hooks.
The towel is still moist.

I blow out cinnamon candles
wafting the air with spice.
Listening now to heat
sputtering and dogs 
barking at winds.

Winter pummels skeletal 
trees as the moon’s big
yellow eye haunts shadows. 


Interview


TSTmpj:  Every word in your poem has a sense of being chosen, crafted carefully.  Have you formally studied, and or taught poetry?


Joan McNerney:  I studied English Literature as my major in college.  My minor was Romance Languages and so Spanish poetry and literature were also explored.   All this exposure to literature has definitely shaped my writing. Other than this, I am more or less self taught.


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TSTmpj:  Our experience of night here in the tropics is quite different to the one you describe.  Where do your geographical, and other, roots as a poet stem from?


Joan McNerney:  It is often very cold here and the outdoors seems menacing and uninviting.  I hope readers will see three layers in this poem.  The make believe world of television, the real world of my kitchen and the intimidating world of winds and barking dogs outdoors.


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TSTmpj:  This is just a hunch, but do you also work in other artistic fields?  Do you draw on other arts for inspiration for your poems?


Joan McNerney:  I often go to concerts and plays.  We have quite a bit of that here.  I have to drive to visit large museums.  The arts keep me motivated to continue with my writing.


Bio Note


Joan McNerney’s poetry is included in numerous literary magazines and was nominated twice for Best of the Net in 2011.