When I write poetry, I am not concerned with finishing a poem in one sitting. I write down as much as is floating through me: a phrase, an idea, or several lines. Eventually, I go back to these tidbits and grow them, and they blossom into poems, but only when they are ready and I am ready. There have been times when I have been taking a relaxing bath and words and phrases would begin floating down like snowflakes, and I would jump out of the tub and run to my computer to type these ideas which, in this case, turned into a finished poem, competed in a single sitting; it felt like I was the stenographer for a muse from the other side of the universe. I do not sit down at my keyboard with the intention of writing a poem, but rather I leave the window to my soul open and let the butterfly of unborn poetry enter and sit on my shoulder when it is ready. When the words to a poem arrive, I am powerless to do anything else but write. For me, writing is oxygen, and poetry is the language of the universe, and I must listen. If there is a hell, I would know that I were there if I were told on my first day there that I would not be allowed to write poetry for eternity. I find poetry's dance to be a healing experience in the same way that intimacy keeps a relationship healthy and vibrant. Intimacy is all about being vulnerable and being willing to become visible to another person. When I write poetry, I share who I am, making myself, my soul, visible for all who read my poetry. The reader is treated to a slide show of the landscape of my journey. Aha moments, an essential element in the creation of a poem, percolate below the surface, waiting for the invisible connecting-of-the-dots process to finish; eventually, a poem is born. The process of writing poetry brings out that which must see the light of day. Writing poetry is like being in a relationship without secrets; the creative process enables me to share, to pour out my rivers of thought laced with emotion. Although the selections of poetry in Snowflakes from the Other Side of the Universe might not appear to be part of the same tapestry, with a closer examination, one can recognize that writing, being, seeing, mortality, and grief are threads in the tapestry of life. And so, I share my observations and insights from my journey. Enjoy.
About the Author: Peter Bourret, a proud grandfather has lived in Tucson, AZ for over 60 years. After serving in the 1st Battalion, 7th Marine Reg., 1st Marine Division as an 81mm mortarman in Vietnam (1967 & 1968), he studied at the University of Arizona, receiving both a Bachelors and a Masters Degree. He taught social studies for 7 years at Apollo Jr High; then, he taught high school English for 18 years. He was the subject of Strands of Barbed Wire, a documentary about his PTSD & his return trip to Vietnam in 1991; he also participated in Vietnam Across America, a documentary produced by his son Jeremy, which examines PTSD & its legacy with Vietnam War combat veterans & their families. He has traveled extensively, including 2 return trips to Vietnam. During retirement, as a volunteer he has taught writing to 2nd & 10th graders; currently, he volunteers at the VA, teaching classes to veterans with PTSD symptoms; additionally, he is a guest speaker at the U of A's College of Nursing, where he addresses the issue of PTSD. He has been a hospice volunteer and has been a guest speaker on the topic of the Vietnam War & PTSD in local high schools for the past 25 years; he has also done poetry readings in local high schools & libraries, & most recently at the High Desert Branch, California Writers Club. Bourret is a charter member of the Marine Corps League & a life member of Vietnam Veterans of America. He has won 1st place from the VA National Creative Arts Festival and was invited to attend the festival three times for the following pieces: 2017, for his poem "Burnt Baby Blues"; 2015, for "Perspective", an essay; 2014, "Alone with it on Veterans Day", a personal experience prose piece, and he presented his prize-winning piece at the 2014 VA National Creative Arts Festival in Milwaukee. War: a memoir, which deals with his PTSD, was published online by The Writers' Circle, Inc. (June 2014). The Physics of War: Poems of War and Healing, his 1st book of poetry, was published in January 2015, and Land of Loud Noises and Vacant Stares, his 2nd book of poetry, was published in March 2015. Although he has written extensively about war and its long-term consequences, Snowflakes from the Other Side of the Universe, published in August 2015, deals with the author's perspective on life. In October 2016, Bourret published Three Joss Sticks In The Rain, his first novel. Bourret is currently in the process of writing his memoir.