Friday, February 17, 2017

Paul Donovan, member of NCWN-West for many years, passed away.


Paul Donovan, poet, from Murphy, NC,  published an autobiographical book of poetry, Ramblings of an Idiot, and is published in journals and anthologies including Lights in the Mountains. He  spent his time since becoming aware of the healing art of Reiki, writing poetry and essays from a more
spiritual prospective. Paul was the host of Fireside Friday, a monthly reading sponsored by the Curiosity Book store at the Shoppes of Murphy. Some years before, as NCWN-West Rep for Cherokee County, he held a reading each month at Shoebooties restaurant.

Paul also initiated the first Netwest anthology, Lights in the Mountains, with his ideas for a poetry anthology by local poets. For many years he conducted the annual essay and poetry contest for high school students of Cherokee County. He was well liked and it seemed easy for Paul to collect funds from local businesses in Murphy to award cash prizes to the student winners.The winners of the contests and their parents were guests for a dinner at Shoebooties each spring.

From the early days of Netwest, Paul was active and a loyal member. In more recent years, his writing turned to personal essays about his childhood and growing up in Pennsylvania. He enrolled in a class on memoir at Tri-County Community College and his classmates enjoyed his stories.

If you knew Paul and would like to add to this post, just leave a comment. If you don't have a gmail account, you can easily  publish as anonymous. Write your name in your comment or leave it anonymous.

We will miss Paul. Condolences to his lovely wife, Ann.

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Paul Donovan, Ramblings of an Idiot                        Main Street Rag, 1999

Eroding Conversation
I feel the inner confusion
            Much deeper than what
I’ve ever felt before

            Control is just a word
until you lose it

            It’s like the babbling brook
that slowly erodes the
            unmovable force
that once was me

            the rains come
the brook gets higher,
the erosion continues

            perhaps there is peace,
if I should decide to go with
the flow.

            That would be nice, but
for some ungodly reason
I can’t
            I just can’t


Shattered Mirror

Sometimes,

            I feel as though I am a mirror
others look into and take out what is
best in me

            leaving the rest behind,
the shattered unwanted pieces that
are me too.



MISTY SHADOWS

Morning mist
clinging to my window,
like a salamander
to the wall
of a swimming pool
sensing his demise.

Peering through the dense fog,
seeing only dark shadows,
trying to make sense
of a fuliginous world,

            I realize,
my tears are adding
to the darkness.
            I may never
again see the light of day,


            as it once was.

2 comments:

  1. So sorry to hear of Paul's passing. I always enjoyed his sense of humor, and my condolences to the family.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Just learned of Paul's passing. I met him last year when I bumped into him literally at the Daily Grind. Both surprised to learn we were both from Pittsburgh and Steeler fans. In the months following I enjoyed seeing him at the Grind and talking about music and the Steelers. What a nice man, so sad. My condolences to his charming wife Ann.

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