Claire Coenen finds the beautiful in the everyday.
We recently bought a birdbath for the garden outside our kitchen window. Other than the things they don’t tell you, like how much maintenance it’s going to be (a lot), we’ve enjoyed watching a host of the feathered set come visiting — a pair of wrens, a bluejay that scolds everything in sight, and a dove, with our favorite being a mama cardinal, plunging herself into the water and enjoying a full bath. They don’t mind us watching, as long as we don’t make sudden moves.
The lead poem in The Beautiful Keeps Breathing, the first collection by Claire Coenen, is entitled “More Beautiful,” and it could have been written sitting at our kitchen window. Coenen watches a mourning dove bathing “in the bowl of water, her underbelly / cradled by gathered rain, her bird body / unashamed of its plumpness.” Nearby is a dogwood “flaunting rose quartz blooms,” and an oak with its sprawling roots — all these everyday things she sees from her porch swing.
Everyday things. Simple, recognizable things. Like picking blueberries, taking a walk, autumn leaves, a flower garden, a visit to grandmother. Coenen finds beauty here, and she describes it in rather beautiful ways.
And there’s more — a Saturday afternoon, waking up a child, a dream, walking into a bakery, discovering the magic of words. Surprisingly, she finds beauty in the mystery of forgiving the men who murdered a friend (definitely not an everyday thing), and even in the words of a simple apology.
I’m Sorry
Washing my face before bed,
the blemishes appear
with clarity. Now the knot
of anger, regarding the greasy pot
in the sink this morning and
your dirty socks on the den floor,
unravels into threads
of bashfulness.
Through the mirror, the truth
of the matter burns
in my eyes, exposing my pores
like moon craters, the film
of oil glowing on the ridge
of my nose. And yes,
I see my tendency to act
sometimes like a child
balling up my discontent,
hurling it with righteousness
into your humanness,
which (sigh) bears
resemblance to mine.
Claire Coenen
Coenen has a professional background as a clinical social worker and leads expressive writing groups through the Writing for Good program, which focuses on “bringing the healing power of writing to vulnerable populations.” She received Master of Education & Master of Theological Studies degrees from Vanderbilt University and a Master of Social Work degree from the University of Tennessee. This is her first poetry collection.
If you look for the beautiful in life and the world, you’ll find it. And as Coenen reminds us, it is as close as the birdbath in your backyard.
Photo by origiri-kun, Creative Commons, via Flickr. Post by Glynn Young.
How to Read a Poem uses images like the mouse, the hive, the switch (from the Billy Collins poem)—to guide readers into new ways of understanding poems. Anthology included.
“I require all our incoming poetry students—in the MFA I direct—to buy and read this book.”
—Jeanetta Calhoun Mish
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Bethany R. says
Thank you for sharing about this poet and collection. I actually got to enjoy her poetry this summer at an online reading event. I was inspired by her way of expressing hope in the midst of reality. Thank you for sharing this post!
Glynn says
Bethany, thanks for reading the post!
Claire H Coenen says
Thank you Bethany! Glad our paths have connected through poetry.