Your Letters From the May 2014 Issue

Send letters to Editor Rick Broussard, New Hampshire Magazine, 150 Dow St., Manchester, NH 03101 or e-mail him at editor@nhmagazine.com.

Don't Call It Poetry
Like the state that your magazine represents, I think your publication is the very best. I am sure, with the coming of National Poetry Month, you will have some great examples of same in that edition. I took your advice re-writing a poem [Editor's Note, April 2014]. As you might guess after reading it, I am a little jaundiced about these non-versed prose pieces being called poetry.

Poetry, it ain't
I think that I shall not want to see
Today's un-rhymed prose
    being called poetry.
To me, a poem exists
    where rhyme is at its ending,
If not, then it becomes prose,
    using skilled word blending.

Poetry, to me, involves rhyme
    and metric beats
And various patterns of a little poem's feet,
Feet that have plodded,
    heavy laden with tired verse
Feet that have skipped lyrically
    and filled with mirth,
Feet that tire not,
    tho having walked in very clime
From the days of Beowulf
    to the present time
And tho I have read prose
    with beautiful word blendings
It is still not poetry
    if is without rhyming endings

I guess it is never too late
    to learn some new tricks
It's gonna be hard for this NH Native —
    I am almost 86
I keep trying to suck it up —
    this thing about verse, yet
The harder I try,  the verser I get. (Oh well.)

Wayne  Hamel          
Hill

Getting Known
Love "Poets Rule!" [Editor's Note, April 2014] I'm thrilled that you included Creeley! Max, Don and Simic are givens, but Creeley is too often overlooked — at least by the general population. Happy spring!

Mark Marony
Francestown

Making a Splash
I tip my hat, gentlemen! Coach Lianna sent out an e-mail to the team with a link for the article ["Synch & Swim," April 2014]. Love the story and the photos. I think you nailed it on what the sport means to the girls. A great blend of history and personal anecdotes. Thanks for including two paragraphs from Sarah's interview! David [Mendelsohn] — marvelous images. It was hard to imagine from the balcony what you were getting underwater, but all that work your crew really paid off.

Joe Hannaford
Bedford

Very Funny
I'm writing to you to express my delight on reading Jane Wingate's very funny essay, "Extreme Lunacy" [March 2014]. My views exactly, but I never could verbalize them in such a hysterically funny way. She gives such good descriptions of what's involved in performing these sports. I also appreciated the tie-ins with mythology (Charon and the River Styx). I hope your readers understood the connection.

Barbara Meyers
New York, NY

Terra Ain't Firma
My wife and I value your wide and lively coverage. Speaking of "lively," we got a kick out of Jane Wingate's recent "Extreme Lunacy" ["Last Laugh," March 2014]. Jane Wingate, you are right. Who needs bungee jumping with winters like ours — where terra ain't even firma any longer.

Warren Carberg
Barnstead

Wearable Art
Just read with great interest the "Transfer and Transform." We are paper artists from Hillsborough and market our work at craft shows throughout many New England communities. Popular with our customers is a line of jewelry that we fashion from recycled materials. We refer to our jewelry as "Wearable Art." The only difference is that we snag our supplies before they even get to the transfer station. The petals of our floral pins and necklaces (see photo below) are first cut from recycled cereal boxes and then covered with a variety of colored papers.

What we have picked up at the "Swap Shop" at the Hillsborough transfer station, though we too still call it the dump, are many of the racks, trays, turntables and the like that we use to display our wares.  We're attempting to turn trash into treasure.

Rick & Roxanne O'Neal
Hillsborough

Editor's Note: Glad to know others are finding inspiration "down in the dumps."

Where Credit's Due
The "Peeperace" diorama featured in the April issue re: Newport Library Arts Center "Using Peeps for Art" was made by my wife, Lee Carey. We live in Grantham. I enjoy every issue of NH Magazine. Keep up the good work.

Nate Carey
Hanover

Small But Mighty
Please don't forget that there is a western part of New Hampshire. We live in Marlow, and the hill towns here in the west have lots of interesting people, artists, quirky events, and beautiful views. For instance, going "blueberrying" on Pitcher Mountain, and taking pictures from that spot can't be beat. Fall foliage in Marlow is unbeatable, and we have one of the most photographed scenes in New England right here on Rte. 10, the view from the picnic area overlooking Tin Shop Pond to the center of town featuring Jones Hall, the Odd Fellows (the Academy), and Methodist Church … gorgeous!  We're small but mighty ovah heah.

Pat Anderson
Marlow

Southern NH Magazine?
Reading about best burgers in the March issue of NH Magazine. I noticed most reviews were in the southern part of the state. Then on pg. 51, Destination Burgers. I hope you are aware that people actually live north of Concord (I realize not many of us). Time to rename to Southern New Hampshire Magazine, or begin recognizing there are readers in the rest of the state.

Raymond Kucharski
Waterville Valley

Editor's Note: We feel like we do a good job of including the North Country. In our burger guide we include places from North Woodstock, Plymouth, North Conway, Intervale, Lincoln, Lebanon, Enfield, Glen, Bartlett, Bretton Woods and Gorham. Seems like an adequate percentage to allow us to continue calling ourselves "New Hampshire." By the way, if we missed some places that you recommend, send me some suggestions. Our burger guide (like our beer guide) lives online and we update it regularly.

Enjoying It
I really like your magazine. I sometimes give them as Christmas or birthday presents. Enjoyed the hamburger articles too. The home improvement section was awesome. What a beautiful back yard. Thank you, New Hampshire Magazine.

Sharon Blake
Rochester

CORRECTIONS: One astute reader of these pages noted that a letter last month implied that the Sturm Ruger company might be closing down a manufacturing facility in the state. In fact, while they are opening a second plant out-of-state, they have no plans to leave New Hampshire.

Also, in our sister publication Destination NH, we got one restaurant listing wrong. Nicola's Trattoria is situated in Keene, not Peterborough. Sorry for the error.