Jean Rodenbough
CARVING THE SPACES
wood chips fall to the patio
as my knife follows the pattern
traced on the bare plate
my life is in patterns
that I discover
through chips of motifs
formed by time
to carve a shape
is to carve its space
as this plate is seen
by what is missing
when my keen blade
flicks out the pieces
I wonder
what will form me
as I seek patterns
in small chips
of hope and love
that reveal me
by their absence
Author’s Comment: My favorite endeavor is chip carving, which provides time to meditate while I carve.
Bio: I am a retired Presbyterian minister, with two published books by All Things That Matter Press: Bebe & Friends: Tails of Rescue (gathered from those who contributed stories about their pets); Rachel’s Children: Surviving the Second World War (accounts from those who were children during that war). Self-published books by lulu.com: poems, a book on the grief process, and a book narrated by a 12-year-old girl about people in her home town.
Wild Goose Poetry Review 
Jean, this took me ‘right there’ in the instant of creating. Excellent.
In poetry and prose, Jean is a thoughtful, compassionate, poignantly reflective and expressive writer and I highly recommend all her publications. Oh, and she’s an excellent chip carver, too!