“Claiming the Essential” – a phrase of Clemson Professor, Drew Lanham’s. Drew wrote this phrase in the front of his book of poems that he gave me following our interview. It’s one of the most impactful conversations I’ve ever had for a myriad of reasons – one of which was the poem he recited during our meandering conversation that he had written that morning while standing with his feet in the sand in the spot where his ancestor, Lucy, had first stood when disembarking from the the slave ship Wanderer. I was at a loss for words – needless to say.
With this Drew talked a lot about “Claiming.” “Claiming the essential and the land under our feet”. Drew’s book of poetry really spoke to me, and I tucked it in my bag and took it everywhere with me for months. I don’t know why exactly – but, somehow I needed it. It made me feel closer to something essential about myself.
Sparrow Envy (by Drew Lanham)
were I the sparrow
brown-backed skittish and small –
I would find haven
in thorniest thickets –
search far and wide
for fields lain fallow
treasure the unkept
worship the unmown
covet the week-strewn row
I would slink
between sedges
chip unseen from brambles
skulk deep within hedges
and desire the ditches frown wild
I would find great joy
in the mist-sodden morning
sing humble pleas
from the highest weeds
and plead
for the gray days to stay
If Drew’s take on Claiming the Essential is of interest, you can find our conversation here https://soundcloud.com/janspragge
