Lynne Smokler Grossman: the COVID Poetry & Art Project

We are now down to the last four entries in the COVID Poetry & Art Project. As we near the end of this series, we’re feeling so grateful to all the writers and artists who participated and this project so special. Today we’re sharing a whimsical poem from Virginia poet and artist Lynne Smokler Grossman, who reminds us that beauty, new ideas, and new beginnings can emerge from the darkest of times.

“Listen to my muted lips/ feed me stardust sun-days,” Lynne tells us in verse. In prose she explains more: “Hope reaches into the very pores of our being, whether that is in human minds or spiritual sources. Optimism is my mindset.”

Learn more about the COVID Poetry and Art Project, a collaboration between DCTRENDING and Mike Maggio.

Newborn stars forming in a nebula called RCW 49—one of the most prolific birthing grounds in our Milky Way galaxy. Photo by Spitzer Space Telescope. Public domain image courtesy of NASA.

Starry I-Scream

 by Lynne Smokler Grossman

Listen to my muted lips

feed me stardust sun-days

scoop generously

smothering pickled-spear doubts

and crumbling lemon cookies

beckoning from my brain’s

clouded freeze-her

Sprinkle that celestial sugar

into my choked mocha cough-fee

cast aside daily grinds and

brew ideas to fruition

Sprout beans defying gravity

shooting sear-rip orbits

banish planet-tarry delays

Whip mill-key way magic

into my barren eggs

so astral seeds

gestate in my literary womb.

© 2020 Lynne Grossman

 [This poem was originally published on Mike Maggio’s website as part of the first iteration of The COVID Poetry & Art Project. Read the original post here.]

Poet Lynne Smokler Grossman

Chatting with Lynne

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?

How I needed to shout! Yet, I was drained and speechless. I felt small and ineffective. My inner world was booming so loudly in protest to the crises happening weekly, sometimes daily, that I had a perpetual headache. Thoughts bombarded me from every direction. I was listless and exhausted. What could I do? Then Mike Maggio provided a platform for creative expression. I seized that opportunity and am grateful to him for that. So, I tried to make a difference under dire circumstances. I now had a purpose—an important one. Now, I could scream through my pen. Via my words, there were no interruptions. This poem, “Starry I-Scream,” demands actions.

It’s easy to fall into despair, especially during a pandemic. Hope holds power. Hope reaches into the very pores of our being, whether that is in human minds or spiritual sources. Optimism is my mindset. I want to pass that on to others, no matter now dire current events are. I believe in the brilliance of scientific minds. As I write this, it is spring 2021, when vaccines have not only been developed, they also have come to fruition! The power of hope! Here’s to life!

What role do you think the arts play in times of turmoil and uncertainty? 

The arts are a haven. There can be a connection through the arts apart from the current events of the world, separate from worry. When we are in turmoil, the arts offer diversion through such avenues as cultural exploration, acquiring knowledge, or creativity. A person can even learn a new skill at any level with no pressure to perform. One can be a participant or an onlooker. This is especially comforting. The mind and soul are quieted when uncertainty and dread looms large. The arts provide safety or stimulation. Therapy has long suggested use of the arts for private emotional release such as journaling, singing, painting, even scribbling, clay, or dancing. The arts definitely play a vital and necessary role for our mental health in times of crisis. They nurture to keep us balanced.

What are you reading/watching/listening to these days?

Viewing: Lots of comedy! Sidesplitting laughter releases lots of tension for me from shows like The Amazing Mrs. Maisel and stand up comedians. I’m hooked on the incredible series Outlander. I’m whisked away into a completely different culture and time period. It has incredible photography and fantastic acting. I also enjoy oldies musicals like Guys and Dolls.

Reading: The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes

Listening: Online Karaoke. Often, I fall asleep to classical piano. My husband and I have great fun ballroom/Latin/swing dancing.

Do you have a favorite local writer or artist (DC area)?

I read broadly beyond local authors. I do not have one favorite. I enjoy a buffet of authors. I am particularly drawn to those artists and poets who are also social activists.

Anything else that you want to say?

I’m honored that DCTRENDING is interviewing me. It’s important to me to be part of a publication that values the arts, diversity, and social justice. On my website, please note that there are separate areas for visual artist and creative writer. Thank you to Mike Maggio for publishing “Starry I-Scream” and my painting Power of Hope on his website last June for that Covid-19 Poetry/Art theme. 

About the Poet

Lynne Smokler Grossman is an artist, educator, creative writer, and social justice activist. She has published nonfiction, poetry, and flash fiction in three anthologies: The Light Beween Us - True Stories of Healing Through Creative Expression, Poems of the Super Moon, and Flash! Short Short Stories by Pen Women (The Pen Women Press). Her essay and poems have also been published on websites such as Split this Rock for the theme Poems of Resistance, Power, and Resilience. Lynne has given numerous poetry readings in Virginia and Washington, D.C. including reading her poem as an introduction to the Biennial Celebration of a Special Evening of Poetry, featuring Sofia M. Starnes, then Poet Laureate of Virginia. Lynne was selected to read for The Celebration of African-American Poets of Washington, D.C. honoring Sterling Brown, the first Poet Laureate of the District of Columbia. She was invited to give a multi-arts presentation of her photography, visual art, and poetry at The National League of American Pen Women's 120th Birthday Celebration at The Historic Pen Arts Building.

Lynne is a founding artist of the Workhouse Arts Center (Lorton,VA) and of The Pastel Society of Virginia. Several of her pieces are in Inova Mount Vernon Hospital's permanent collection of healing art, such as Power of Hope. Additionally, the photograph Delicate Iris was particularly honored for permanent display in their redesigned Infusion Center. Inova Kellar Center chose two of her photographs for their collection. She is a retired Speech-Language Pathologist and Hearing Therapist. Lynne holds degrees from the University of Virginia: B.S. Speech-Language Pathology, M.Ed. (Concentration: Audiology). Lynne enjoys stand-up comedy, theatre, and ballroom/Latin/swing dancing with her husband.  http://www.LynneGrossman.com.