Kathy Cable Smaltz: the COVID Poetry & Art Project
Counting down to the end of the COVID Poetry & Art Project, which has been so rewarding for us—this our third to last poet/artist to share with you!
In her poem, “Roots,” former Prince William County Poet Laureate Kathy Cable Smaltz uses mundane moments and meditations from her daily life to explore universal themes of safety, home, risks, and what it means to be rooted. Chatting with us, she talked about how engaging with arts during quarantine is one way to feel rooted. “I'm not going to pretend that participating in the arts online has been a substitute [for live performances]. My job requires many hours on the computer, so I'm burned out and don't want more of it. I think this has driven me to read even more and to enjoy poetry the most of all. I can still listen to poets read their words and feel tethered to the world in a way that makes me feel there is hope.”
Want to learn more about the COVID Poetry & Art Project, which is a collaboration between DCTRENDING and Mike Maggio?
Photo of lantana flower by Jean Beaufort.
Roots
by Kathy Cable Smaltz
Lantana roots, too long for the
green planter on our back porch
can’t stretch deeply, so they
double back on themselves, the
flowers losing vibrancy
each day in this quarantine May.
When my husband tries to save
the plant by pulling the roots back
up out of the dirt, cutting off
part, their tiny pink petals drop
off days later, their leaves wither
around the edges.
Like the lantana, we’re also
kept in our houses, our worlds
shrinking day by day. We may
also send shoots down into
this soil, but we cannot be
cut and re-planted, placed in new
window boxes to wait out this
virus. For out there, sickness
lurks and maybe too, death.
Our roots are better off left
alone, doubling back, our
flowers too big for our pots.
© 2020 Kathy Cable Smaltz
This poem was first published on MikeMaggio.net as part of the first iteration of the COVID Poetry and Art Project. Read the original post here.
Poet Kathy Cable Smaltz
Chatting with Kathy
Can you tell us a little about this poem or piece of art and how you came to create it? How has the current crisis (or crises) influenced your art?
I was sitting on my back porch, my oasis, last spring looking at the flowers my daughter had planted in the window boxes. One of them, the lantana, was dying, and in an effort to save it, she performed a "transplant." It didn't flourish, however, which got me to thinking about how we were all boxed in, and our roots were searching endlessly for more soil -- and yet, even though we were quarantined, we were safe. Sometimes, we take risks that pay off, and other times, those risks don't. The pandemic has influenced a lot of my art because we just can't get away from it. It's changed our lives and perspectives.
What role do you think the arts play in times of turmoil and uncertainty?
Even in the best of times, the arts soothe me and make my heart rejoice whether I'm enjoying others' art or creating my own. In this past year, we've been deprived of the "live arts," and I really miss hearing the symphonic band play 100 yards from where I sit, and strolling the hallways of the National Gallery, to name a couple of things I usually do with regularity. I'm not going to pretend that participating in the arts online has been a substitute. My job requires many hours on the computer, so I'm burned out and don't want more of it. I think this has driven me to read even more and to enjoy poetry the most of all. I can still listen to poets read their words and feel tethered to the world in a way that makes me feel there is hope.
What are you reading/watching/listening to these days?
Like everyone else, I've become a Netflix addict. I like to watch several series at once and savor them. I am the opposite of a binger. My favorites? Outlander, Queen's Gambit, Schitt's Creek, and Dead to Me. I've also rekindled my passion for science fiction with shows like The 4400 and Another Life. I've also fallen in love with Brenee Brown's podcast, Unlocking Us, which I listen to when I run. I am shameless when it comes to reading thrillers, mysteries, and ghost stories, but the most literary book I've read lately is Circe by Madeline Miller. It's delicious ... so well-written and vividly imagined.
Do you have a favorite local writer or artist (DC area)—or more than one?
Oh, I have several, but I'd have to say my favorites are Grace Cavalieri and E. Ethelbert Miller. They're both so wise, draw me in with their images, and have generous spirits ... encouraging other writers and making us more courageous than we thought we could be.
Anything else that you want to say?
I'd like to thank you for the opportunity to be part of this important collection, and also Mike Maggio for hosting the original poetry challenge from which this poem was born. I've loved poetry since I was seven, and it's a love that keeps on growing.
About the Poet
Kathy Cable Smaltz resides in Prince William County, VA and served as PWC Poet Laureate from 2016 — 2018. Her work has been published in numerous journals, and her first poetry collection, Pieces, was released in September 2019. She is a fellow with the VCCA and loves spending time outdoors with her family.