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***This is
the sixth in a never-ending series called BACKSTORY OF THE POEM where
the Chris Rice Cooper Blog (CRC) focuses on one specific poem and how
the poet wrote that specific poem.
Backstory of the Poem
“The Ring-master”
by Susan Sundwall
scsundwall@gmail.com
Can you go through the
step-by-step process of writing this poem from the moment the idea was first
conceived in your brain until final form?
On
my blog, back in March of 2013 when I first posted this poem, I mention that it
came to me in a lightning bolt. It was just about like that and the result of
being called on to comfort a friend because of a tragic, needless death. A
young man of my acquaintance had overdosed in his grandparents’ home. Her
husband found Andrew (Above Right) dead in their upstairs bedroom. I was one of the first
people they called. Andrew had just turned 21. It was awful. And infuriating.
Where were you when
you started to actually write the poem?
And please describe the place in great detail.
I
was at the graveside
of the twenty-one-year old drug overdose victim. Images of
people dancing like puppets to a cracking whip kept assailing my brain. It was
nearly the end of winter and the ground was
How many drafts of
this poem did you write before going to the final? (And can you share a
photograph of your rough drafts with pen markings on it?)
I
don’t know how many drafts I did, but probably only a few since my emotions
were so high and it seemed to flow more easily than other poems I'd written.
Were there any lines
in any of your rough drafts of this poem that were not in the final
version? And can you share them with us?
I
had to fiddle a bit with the ending so “to their graves” went in and out of the
poem. In the end I decided to add the line two more times in decreasing font
size to emphasize the descent into madness that drug abuse can bring. (Right Tomb at Arlington Cemetery)
What do you want
readers of this poem to take from this poem?
At
the funeral words began flying in my head about the effect, fatally in this
case, of drug abuse. A ringmaster presented him/herself as well as images of
young people with monkeys on their backs. That’s an old term used for the
things that won’t let us alone; drugs, alcohol, porn addiction, gluttony and
others. About a week later the words began to flow out of me.
I
wrote this poem about a week after the funeral and posted it on my blog
attempting to expose the lie that drugs can often be. I felt guided by God's
hand to write it.
I
am so grateful for all the people who commented on the poem when it was featured
on my blog. Many of them knew Andrew or had been touched themselves by the
profusion of drug abuse that seemed to be plaguing our country then as it does
now. I also have two brothers whose fate was similar to the young man who
inspired the poem. I dedicated it to the three of them.
Your biography?
I
began writing for children about twenty years ago. My sister had asked for
material for a family newspaper she was putting together. My latent desire to write
began to bloom and I wrote a story called “The Legend of Mary’s Sparrow.”
I got such good feedback from it I began freelancing, blogging and writing
poetry. I revised that first story and it was published years
Anything you would like to add?
In
Paul’s letter to the Corinthians (I Cor. 6:19) we find the oft quoted verse
about our bodies being a temple. “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy
Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?” But
the second half of the verse always had more meaning for me. “You are not your own; you were bought
with a price. Therefore honor God in your bodies.”
These
lines came to me time and time again as I fought to get this poem out. I
struggled because I knew it could have an effect and even though I always try
to keep my blog postings light, I felt God directing me to use this platform in
this instance for something more. 
I
wondered if my own fury at rampant substance abuse might mirror our Lord’s fury
as he turned over the money changers tables in the temple. I was filled with
righteous anger. God created us for so much more than we ever think.
The
Ringmaster
The
Ringmaster’s name is Cocaine.
She
will smile as she calls out your name,
“Inside
of the ring, dear, you’ll see,
how
your troubles and sorrows will flee.”
So
you join in the Ringmaster’s dance;
life
is rough - why not take the chance?
That
the Ringmaster knows more than you
and
the things that he tells you are true.
The
trapeze that you seize flings you high
it’s
so pleasant this rush to the sky.
You
feel like you’re wearing a crown;
won’t
ever, not ever, come down.
It’s
so wonderful here at the top.
Please,
oh please, it just can’t ever stop.
But
you glance at the Ringmaster’s face,
and
somehow you see there no grace.
She
whispers, “I know you want more.”
And
his lies hide the dead on the floor
of
the Circus where fools become slaves
and
dance all the way to their graves . . .
To
their graves
to their graves
001 December 29, 2017
Margo
Berdeshevksy’s “12-24”
002 January 08, 2018
Alexis
Rhone Fancher’s “82 Miles From the Beach, We Order The Lobster At Clear Lake
Café”
003 January 12, 2018
Barbara
Crooker’s “Orange”
004 January 22, 2018
Sonia
Saikaley’s “Modern Matsushima”
005 January 29, 2018
Ellen
Foos’s “Side Yard”
006 February 03, 2018
Susan
Sundwall’s “The Ringmaster” https://chrisricecooper.blogspot.com/2018/02/6-backstory-of-poem-susan-sundwalls.html
007 February 09, 2018
Leslea
Newman’s “That Night”
008 February 17, 2018
Alexis
Rhone Fancher “June Fairchild Isn’t Dead”
https://chrisricecooper.blogspot.com/2018/02/8-backstory-of-poem-june-fairchild-isnt.html
009 February 24, 2018
Charles
Clifford Brooks III “The Gift of the Year With Granny”
https://chrisricecooper.blogspot.com/2018/02/9-backstory-of-poem-gift-of-year-with.html
010 March 03, 2018
Scott
Thomas Outlar’s “The Natural Reflection of Your Palms”
https://chrisricecooper.blogspot.com/2018/03/chris-ricecooper-caccoopaol.html
011 March 10, 2018
Arya F. Jenkins “After Diane Beatty’s Photograph, “History Abandoned" https://chrisricecooper.blogspot.com/2018/03/11-backstory-of-poem-after-diane.html
Arya F. Jenkins “After Diane Beatty’s Photograph, “History Abandoned" https://chrisricecooper.blogspot.com/2018/03/11-backstory-of-poem-after-diane.html
012 March 17, 2018
Angela Narciso Torres’s “What I Learned This Week”
https://chrisricecooper.blogspot.com/2018/03/12-backstory-of-poem-series-angela.html
https://chrisricecooper.blogspot.com/2018/03/12-backstory-of-poem-series-angela.html
013 March 24, 2018
Jan
Steckel’s “Holiday On ICE”
014 March 31, 2018
Ibrahim
Honjo’s “Colors”
https://chrisricecooper.blogspot.com/2018/03/14-backstory-of-poem-ibrahim-honjos.html
015 April 14, 2018
Marilyn
Kallett’s “Ode to Disappointment”
https://chrisricecooper.blogspot.com/2018/04/15-backstory-of-poem-ode-to_14.html
016 April 27, 2018
Beth
Copeland’s “Reliquary”
https://chrisricecooper.blogspot.com/2018/04/16-backstory-of-poem-reliquary-by-beth.html
017 May 12, 2018
Marlon
L Fick’s “The Swallows of Barcelona”
018 May 25, 2018
Juliet
Cook’s “ARTERIAL DISCOMBOBULATION”
https://chrisricecooper.blogspot.com/2018/05/18-backstory-of-poem-arterial.html
019 June 09, 2018
Alexis
Rhone Fancher’s “Stiletto Killer. . . A Surmise”
020 June 16, 2018
Charles
Rammelkamp’s “At Last I Can Start Suffering”
https://chrisricecooper.blogspot.com/2018/06/20-backstory-of-poem-at-least-i-can.html
021 July 05, 2018
Marla
Shaw O’Neill’s “Wind Chimes”
022 July 13, 2018
Julia Gordon-Bramer’s
“Studying Ariel”
https://chrisricecooper.blogspot.com/2018/07/22-backstory-of-poem-studying-ariel-by.html
023 July 20, 2018
Bill Yarrow’s “Jesus
Zombie”
024 July 27, 2018
Telaina Eriksen’s “Brag
2016”
https://chrisricecooper.blogspot.com/2018/07/24-backstory-of-poem-brag-2016-by.html
025 August 01, 2018
Seth Berg’s (It is only
Yourself that Bends – so Wake up!”
