Christal
Cooper 1,148 Words
KENTUCKY POET LAUREATE
FRANK X WALKER, on
WOMEN, the PERSONA POEM,
and
ISAAC MURPHY I DEDICATE THIS RIDE
Kentucky Poet Laureate Frank X Walker,
53, is one of the greatest persona poets
of our time, giving voices to African Americans who have made good differences
to the world.
One of those African Americans he
writes about is the legendary jockey Isaac Murphy (1861 – 1896) in his book Isaac
Murphy I Dedicate This Ride, published in 2010 by Old Cove Press.
Walker did not know of Isaac Murphy’s
existence until he was in high school, attending Danville High School in his hometown
of Danville, Kentucky.
At the time of learning about Isaac
Murphy, Walker was two personalities in one:
the nerd and the jock. He told
Progressive Radio that there were some students who thought he had a twin,
because the nerd and the jock were so different, but yet, they were one in the
same.
It only seemed fitting that his classmates
christened him, twice elected class president, with a new name of “X” to take
into account the two sides of Walker.
It wasn’t until 2009 that Isaac Murphy
came into Walker’s life – when Walker was commissioned to write a play about
Isaac Murphy’s legendary career and life.
The commission of writing the play grew
to the desire to write a collection of persona poems about Isaac Murphy with
Isaac Murphy’s voice, the voice of Murphy’s parents James and America Burns;
his mentor Eli Jordan; and his wife Lucy Murphy, whom Walker dedicated the
poetry collection to.
Walker, the second of ten children, is
a private poet, and never writes about himself, or about his family, but the
influence of women in his life has been a strong one, stemming from when he was
a boy, enduring a gruesome arm injury by getting his arm caught in the barrel
of an old time washing machine.
While he was recovering from the arm
injury, his mother brought him books, magazines, and other materials to
read. It is because of this (and not
having a television set) that he developed his love for reading and words and
recognized their “magical power.”
He read The Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew Series, Sherlock
Holms, and devoured Childcraft Encyclopedias, a gift from his
mother. It wasn’t until his high school
years that he started writing poetry.
Walker is proud of his history of being
reared by women and credits their influence in giving him the ability to create
the female voices in his persona poems, especially the female voices in his
historical book of poetry about the Lewis and Clark expedition via Clark’s
personal slave York’s voice in Buffalo Dance: The Journey of York.
“I believe that because
I was raised by women, have been blessed with six sisters, and survived multiple
failed relationships, I actually lived the research material I needed to create
most of the authentic sounding female voices in my historical poetry.” Walker told CX Dillhunt
and Drew Dillhunt in an online interview last year.
Using the same research that he
obtained while writing the play on Isaac Murphy’s life and career, Walker sat
in his home office and wrote the persona poems in longhand with ink in his personal
journal.
In his home office are: posters of Malcolm X and Jamaican political
leader and poet Marcus Garvey; photograph of his bride, Taunya, of less than a
year, and other family photos.
Also in the office are three bookshelves of
books, magazines, and other writing materials.
Perhaps the most creative thing in his office, besides paper, is his golf
putter.
He told Kentucky reporter Candace
Chaney in April of last year, “A lot of
my writing process is just about sort of teasing things out. I golf to kind of clear my head and work
things out.”
The prolific poet writes at least one poem a day, does not believe in writer’s block, and does not carry a cell phone when he is writing: “I try not to take my cell phone with me. It gives me free space to think, to tease those things out, to think about a new poem or new idea or new structure." Walker told Chaney in April of 2013.
Walker has written six poetry collections,
four of those are persona poem collections.
“Persona poems are poems written in the voice of someone other than the poet. Adequate research is necessary to make these poems effective.”
Walker believes young people, especially African
American Men, will benefit from reading these poetry persona collections
because they will learn about history and discover good role models.”
Walker is associate professor of English at the University
of Kentucky. He is presently working on
two poetry collections, a play, and has just completed his first novel, which
he described as a dream come true.
Walker can be reached
via his email at Fxw2@uky.edu
Walker’s favorite poem from Isaac Murphy: I Dedicate This
Ride is “Prairie Song,” because of its connection to the African
American literary tradition. What makes this poem an unusual rarity is that it
is written in the voice of Walker, telling of his personal experience visiting Isaac
Murphy’s final resting place.
Praise Song
Frank X Walker
Straddling the distance between
African Cemetery No. 2
and the Kentucky Horse Park,
between the straw-lined stables
at Churchill Downs
and the view from Millionaires Row,
between our racist history
and our proud past,
I offer these words, this elegy,
this praise song for Isaac.
For every master teacher
blessed with a willing student,
for Jimmy Winkfield and William Walker,
Pat Day and Calvin Borel,
Eddie Arcaro and Angel Cordero Jr.,
for every jockey hypnotized
by the speed, power
and the music of racing.
For every trainer, groom, hot walker
and stable hand who palmed a brush,
carried a bucket or lifted a shovel.
For every Derby Day hero
generous enough to take a jockey
along for the ride,
for every yearling dreaming
of a garland of roses,
for every also-ran.
I recommit this husband to his wife,
this son to his mother,
this student to his teacher.
I offer all of them to each of us.
I dedicate this ride to a man
whose life’s work was a blueprint
for anyone black, white or brown
hoping to build something better,
hoping to fulfill their own potential,
to use all their gifts and blessings
in an honorable way.
Isaac Murphy’s life teaches us
How to honor our parents,
how to love full speed,
how to outrun prejudice and oppression.
I dedicate this ride
to America and Kentucky’s son,
to a legacy worthy of a star on the walk,
a boulevard named in his honor,
this book.
Wrap your arms around his story,
close your eyes,
feel the wind whispering in your ears.
Grab the reins of any and everything
that makes your heart race.
Find your purpose. Find your purpose.
And hold on.
*Copyright by Frank X Walker and Old Cove Press.
*Printed with permission from Frank X Walker.
PHOTOGRAPH DESCRIPTION
AND COPYRIGHT INFO
Photo 1, 6, 13, 17, 18
Frank X Walker. Attributed to Rachel Eliza Griffiths. Copyright by Frank X Walker and Rachel Eliza
Griffiths.
Photo 2
Jacket cover of Isaac
Murphy: I Dedicate This Ride.
Photo 3.
Photo 4
Downtown Danville,
Kentucky. Attributed to Russell and
Sydney Poore. GNUFD License. And CCASA
3.0 Unported, 2.5, 2.0 and 1.0 Generic.
Photo 5
Isaac Murphy. Public Domain.
Photo 7
Isaac Murphy
racing. Public Domain.
Photo 8
Lucy Murphy. Public Domain.
Photo 9
Manual barrel washer,
manufactured by J.V. Obradampf, Germany, 1930-1935. GNU Free Documentation License. CCASA 3.0, 2.5 , 2.0, and 1.0 license.
Photo
10
Jacket
cover of The Tower Treasure
Photo
11
Childcraft
Encyclopedias in a home in India. GNU
Free Documentation License and CCASA License.
Photo
12
Jacket
cover of Buffalo Dance The Journey Of York
Photo
14
Malcolm
X in March of 1964. Attributed to Library
of Congress. New York World-Telegram & Sun Collection. is
photograph is a work for hire
created prior to 1968 by a staff photographer at New York
World-Telegram & Sun.
It is part of a collection donated to the Library of
Congress. Per the deed of gift, New York World-Telegram &
Sun dedicated to the public all rights it held for the photographs in this collection upon its donation to the Library. Thus,
there are no known restrictions on the usage of this photograph.
Photo
15
Marcus
Garvey at his office on August 5, 1924.
Attributed to George Grantham Bain.
Library of Congress – no known restrictions on this photo.
Photo
16
Indoor
putting green. Public Domain.
Photo
19
Jacket
cover of When Winter Come: The Ascension
of York
Photo
20
Jacket
cover of Turn Me Loose: The Unghosting of
Medgar Evers.
Photo
21
Partial
image of jacket cover of Isaac Murphy: I Dedicate This Ride
Photo
22
Frank
X Walker. Photo attributed to Tracy A
Hawkins. Copyright by Frank X Walker.
Photo
23.
Isaac
Murphy. Public Domain.
