Ken Allan Dronsfield responds

Ken Allan Dronsfield: I was born and raised in the State of New Hampshire, in a small town along the coast. New Hampshire has the shortest coastline of any of the United States, (18 miles). My family was into lobster fishing, construction and painting. I'm the oldest of 6 children. My mom and dad have passed now. After high school I worked in the local lumber company, then joined the military. After the military I worked for the State of NH for a few years, then as a truck driver. I did that until 2004 when I retired due to illness. I'm single, I have three children, two sons, Robert and Curt and my daughter Hillary. I'm a grandfather with 5 grandchildren. 

DV: What circumstances led you to become a poet?

KAD: I began writing poems when I was about 13 years old. I had gotten a guitar and learned to play a little, and I would write my own lyrics to songs....this led to poetry. I wrote a little for many years, saving what I could, then after getting out of driving over the road trucks, I started writing seriously but did not start publishing my work in earnest until 2015.

DV: I know you were nominated for a Pushcart Prize. What can you tell us about that process? Can you share the poem with us?

KAD: Yes, I was nominated twice last year for the Pushcart Prize. One nomination from "Poetry Pacific" http://poetrypacific.blogspot.ca/ was my poem, "Tranquility Point," the second was from "Spirit Fire" Review  http://www.spiritfirereview.com/ 

titled "Bestowed Blessings in a Harvest Sonnet." Of all the thousands of nominations, the Pushcart committee selects those that are published in the actual Pushcart Prize book available through Amazon. It's an honor to be selected and always humbling to find someone enjoyed your work enough to take the time to nominate it for this award. 

DV: Can you share one of them with us?

Tranquility Point (Pushcart Prize Nominee Poetry Pacific)

Walk into the sand;
of a dune avalanche.
Grasses swaying to
hot steamy winds;
sounds of waves
crashing to shore;
seagulls bartering
for tidbits in rocks
along the stagnant
shallow festering,
marshy salt pools
near the open sea.
Hot feet begging
for the touch and
soothing sensation
of chilled waters
racing from depths
to chase the shore
birds and children
all along the beach.
Egrets hunt minnows
as twilight greets the
coolish sea breeze.
Another day gone;
Tranquility Point is
once again, at ease.

DV: Do you recall the circumstances that led to this poem? Was it basically spontaneous or the product of a lot of sweat?

KAD: Oh yes, I recall the circumstances which led to this particular piece. Close to where I was brought up were a few areas right on the ocean where you could pull your vehicle into a spot, get out walk out on the point a bit and watch the ocean, ships and sky. There was one very special place near Rye New Hampshire on Route 1A that I used to love....it had a small tidal marsh on the other side of the road....I'd watch ducks and geese land, seagulls and terns on the ocean....I can still smell the essence of that spot....

DV: Do you think your poems usually have this close connection to memory and the senses?

KAD: Yes, most definitely, when it comes to my Nature poems, I fully believe that my memory of those times growing up hunting, fishing, camping, hiking and just spending time on the ocean and in the outdoors has much to do with each and every one of them.

DV: A lot of your output on duanespoetree.blogspot.com have supernatural themes. Where do these come from?

KAD: I write in three genres..... Nature, Supernatural and what I call, "Eclectic Prattle"..... My book, "The Cellaring" is a collection of 80 paranormal, haunting, light horror, weird and wonderful poetry. I believe you've read some of my Nature themed work, as well...this is what I call Eclectic Prattle...and my new book will have about 30 + poems of this theme. Here's one:

Inquisition of Mephistopheles

Blame me not of heartless vengeance
inked words nor intolerable pestilence
a keeper of life's incandescent tolerance
mocked by the icy queried inquisitions.
Steamy breath within pious incantations
raucous mind of a boiling incessant joy
home in purgatory, refuge within evil
I'm not afraid to walk this world alone.
In dungeons of a darkish desperation
percolating a new hell from deep within
roaming the covenant on ancient paths
uncovering graves of the fallen saints.
Battlements and those gated horrors
in bunkers of a suicidal choreography
saltpeter and brimstone explode in envy
seeing the stars within eternal darkness.
Written in the sky with a neon yellow ink
missing the blood moon in all her glory.
The question isn't "who will allow me life"
but rather, "who shall try to stop me."

DV: Last spring I started a poem that I planned to send to you, connecting Jack the Ripper and Sherlock Holmes. I decided to make Lestrade into a very rattled Cockney, the main propulsion of the narration, but I had trouble producing a tolerable Cockney accent, and the project stalled. Maybe, when the time is ripe, I'll take another shot at it. A lot of my poems are like that: they fail on my first attempt, lie fallow for some time (many years, in some cases), and then seem to work themselves out and force themselves onto a piece of paper.  Am I just weird, or do you have similar experiences?

KAD: Yes, I have some poems that have been in 'mothballs' for years. And every once in awhile when I find a bit of the writer's block has bitten my ass, I pull them out and go through them. Sometimes I'll take three of the older ones, put them all together, meld them well and publish a good poem. It's funny you mention Jack the Ripper.....my poem, "Jack Speaks" started as only 4 lines, then to 8 and now it's at 24 lines....and I think done! I don't think I can manage the "Cockney" accent either, mine sort of follows along the Dr Watson style. But I must say, I do enjoy reading my poems aloud in the front room at midnight, with a candle....

DV: Do you equally enjoy reading them aloud in public?

KAD: I would like to think I would. Thus far, I have been without a venue out here where I live. I've recently found a poetry group in Oklahoma City, about an hour away, so I'll be checking that out very soon.

DV: Aside from the rush one gets from being the center of attention, it's also a good way to test the material. It often sounds different to an audience than it does to one's inner ear.  A cozy workshopping group can also be helpful. But meanwhile, till you start to make that hour-long trip on a regular basis, what is your next writing project?

KAD: Oh yes.....that "rush" can be intoxicating to some, downright scary to others. Although I appreciate each and every comment posted about my work, ie; certain poems or particular lines contained within, I'm just not a slave to the attention garnered and I agree with you, a cozy workshop group can help with overcoming the "stage fright" stigma. I once wrote a short, 5 line piece, explaining my 'quiet'.....

Quieted

Many assume my being quiet
means I'm unhappy, mad or upset.
But not really. I'm just thankful
for the silence wherever I find it
in a world of incessant noise.

DV: When I write -- when I really write -- it doesn't matter how much din I'm in, the only noise I notice is the one inside my head. What are you working on next?

KAD:  At this time, I have two poetry collections that I'm working on, one will be a chapbook collection of seasonal nature poems, and the other will be the 'eclectic prattle' poetry I mentioned earlier. So, I spend most of my time writing, reading websites and others' poetry, researching, submitting, feeding cats, writing, submitting, answering emails; acceptances with grace, and rejections with a simple, "thank you"....! Only very recently, I started putting together a website....so working on that as well. I'm busy....

DV: Well, thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to let me pick your brain. I hope your collections achieve the the attention and appreciation they deserve.

KAD: The pleasure is all mine Duane, and may I say, it's always a pleasure to find my work published within the pages of your Poetree.... Thanks for having me, Cheers!