Finding the Poem in Landscape

In a state which prides itself on independent thinking, it is remarkable that so many of our citizens are dyed-in-the-wool conservatives. Yet it is so.  Prior to the influx of communal dwellers and transplants from the New York arts scene in the 1960’s, rural Vermont was largely inhabited by farming folks who lived simply, frugally, and loved their flag.

The legacy of Vermont farm communities is evident in careful documentation passed down through generations, with many local families claiming ancestral heritage in the same Vermont towns going back to the 1600’s.  By these standards, families which arrived in the late 1800’s are still viewed as “newcomers”.

Maintained privately and by Historical Societies throughout Vermont, documentation of everything from sheep weighing at the county fair, to quilt square making techniques provides a rich and comprehensive view into how the early Vermont settlers lived.

Much of Vermont’s history carries with it deep ties to the land, to neighborliness, and to a cooperative way of life which vastly preceded the commune movement of the ‘60’s.  The imprint of strong community ties and an unwaveringly beautiful landscape have had a profound effect on Vermont literature. The works of writers from the late Grace Paley to Archer Mayor are replete with an unflinching emotional accuracy and distinctive  portrayals of human relationships which reverberate beyond state boundaries.  Vermont poets Verandah Porche and Norman Dubie draw on the natural landscape to evoke deeply rooted emotional responses among readers through their clear visual portraits of woods and rural homesteads.

There is a poem or piece of fiction within each deliberate aspect of life in our state.  Whether it is hauling wood or braiding the mane of a sleepy mare, living is slow, often measured, and as such gives the Vermont writer the time to consider their subject, and to pay attention in a way our over-saturated society does not easily provide.