INTERVIEW | By The Chapter & Verse Team  » Poetry should come from the heart, says a woman who should know.

Lynda Anaya recently won the 2nd Annual Women Inspirational Poetry Contest, organized by Toronto poet Oneal Walters, for her entry Upon a Wing and a Smile.

She beat out two other excellent works by Alison Clarke (who took second spot with Sister Moon) and Kimberlee Edgecomb, who had the third-place poem, Cisterns of Love.

"You cannot go wrong if you write from the heart," said Anaya. "If you spill your emotions upon the page, your words will be believable and others will relate to you based on their own experiences in life. I believe that a true poet's words flow from the heart."

Anaya said poetry has always been both enjoyable and fulfilling. 

"It has also been an outlet for my feelings in difficult times. I feel that it is a gift to have the ability to touch the hearts of others with the use of words.

"So having my poem recognized as first among such excellent entries by my peers is such an honour!" she said of her win. 

Anaya, who has been writing poetry since high school, says she penned Upon A Wing and a Smile especially for the contest. 

"The theme was to write about women and a person who inspires you. My mother is an inspiration. She is someone who is gentle but strong and has been here for me all of my life, so I dedicated the poem to her."  

Why choose a flower as representation for a lady, we asked her.

"Firstly, I have a love for flowers," said Anaya. "They are a symbol of beauty. I often use flowers in my poetry as a metaphor. Like women, they are both fragile and strong."

She called her mother a "very loving soul" who finds her joy in giving to others. "She is in touch with the gentleness of the Earth and all of its creatures and beauty. Her loving spirit is what I was attempting to share in my poem."   

As for what we can expect from her in the future, Anaya said some of her work has been accepted to appear in a magazine this fall.

"I have a collection of poetry which I am planning to submit for possible publication as a book. I do have a wish for my own website in the future as well." 

Second-place winner Alison Clarke meanwhile was pleased with her prize too.

"I am happy... It is good that my work is appreciated, and that I was rewarded.  I enjoy being a poet."

Clarke, who has been writing poetry since elementary school, said she chose to submit Sister Moon as her entry "because I think it's important to show that Madonna has done good things with her work."

"She has embraced multiculturalism, because it is seen in her videos, and in her actions. Adopting black children from an impoverished country, with all the regulations I think is admirable," she added. 

Clarke added that she found Madonna's videos "revolutionary".

"For example, Like A Prayer, where a black Jesus was shown, Respect Yourself, where she uses a male gesture to empower herself, Frozen, for the visual simplicity and perceptive lyrics, as well as Oh Father, where she talks about her difficult relationship with her own father."

Clarke said she could empathize with Madonna, because she was in a situation similar to hers.  

"The power of her music and lyrics is comforting, uplifting, sometimes sad, but always therapeutic because she understands, and her feelings are often universal.  Madonna has made mistakes.  She is not perfect.  But at least she is honest about what she has done right and what she has done wrong," she said.

"Not listening to that inner voice, doing whatever for publicity and success is not the right choice, and she admits that.  I admire her honesty. I think that she is a strong, smart woman, and should get more respect for her work." 

Clarke said success is defined by being independent, being different from the rest.  

"All of the masters in different areas like painters, poets, and so on who were successful did their own thing. I'm reading a book about Georgia O'Keefe, a revolutionary painter from the last century, and she endeavoured to be different, in her art and life.  Her revolutionary way of painting and colour is well-known, and she is considered to be one of the masters in art. She wanted to be different, and she was rewarded.  All of the masters who did this did well." 

Clarke felt that those who do the conventional thing to make money do not enjoy lasting success, and their reputation fades. 

"Neil Young, The Beatles, Bob Marley, Joni Mitchell, Sarah McLachlan, Madonna, and so on will be remembered and talked about for years.  Those who just make money off of what is popular are forgotten.  The work speaks for itself," she said. 

"Being in the arts is hard, but if you have a good job, you can also create on the side.  That is what I have chosen to do. That is what I think makes success."  

Clarke said she has a few projects that she is currently working on.  

"One is a collection of poetry about illness, and how environmental influences can create it.  I use examples of literature, and so on and it will be coming out by next year. 

"I am also working on a sequel to my children's story, in which my character, an elephant, goes to the moon.  I am also working on a fantasy novel and I am illustrating it as well.  I enjoy creating. I am also putting up a website on which I will be selling my poetry CDs, children's stories, and so on."

The winning entries can be read here:

1. Upon a Wing and a Smile, by Lynda Anaya

   
2. Sister Moon, by Alison Clarke
   
3. Cisterns of Love, by Kimberlee Edgecomb