Sharon Brogan’s blog is entitled, “Watermark- A Poet’s Notebook.” When I first read the title I thought to myself, “Well, that’s just great. I think I’d rather be stabbed in the eye with a fork than read somebody else’s poetry.” I have had bad experiences with poetry in the past, and was not looking forward to reviewing this blog.
If you are like me, and have struggled with poetry in the past, then Watermark is the place for you. Sharon Brogan’s work redeems all of the tacky, cliché, and downright boring poetry that I have been exposed to. Her poetry is honest and refreshing; it takes us to a place where we have all been, but frequently forget about. But to understand the poetry of Sharon Brogan, it is important to know a bit about her life.
In Sharon’s “About Me” section, we learn that she has lived in mostly rural places. She is currently in Montana, and has lived in remote areas such as Alaska. She has spent much of her life as a “career-focused workaholic,” and Sharon’s blog appears to be a place where writing fulfills her in a way that her work could not. We also find that Sharon struggles with fibromyalgia, a condition characterized by chronic fatigue (to my understanding).
All of these aspects of her life can be seen as themes throughout her poetry; themes that are at the same time universal to everyone and personal to Sharon.
The heart of this blog is the poetry. All of Sharon’s poetry has been neatly organized into a section entitled “Oratory.” The poems are listed alphabetically; from Abigail, to Winter Solstice. The poetry is at the same time simple and complex, full of pining and contentment, searching for the past and living in the present. Sharon writes with a sensual style, that makes her images easy to see and feel. She often writes about a desire to return to the comforts of nature, a lover’s arms, and childhood. Her ability to write about these things in a way that we can all relate to, makes her poetry accessible to even the most novice of readers. In my humble opinion, Sharon’s poetry, along with her blog, is an attempt to capture that single moment in time that “arises, still clear and bright, white against a blue sky.” (Pelicans feeding in the Slate River…)
My favorite part of the blog was the few poems attached with audio posts. I am assuming that Sharon was the one reading the poems. What a great idea to read these poems aloud! Poetry is meant to be heard, not read; and my only complaint (or rather, request) would be that there aren’t enough audio posts.
The layout really is beautiful in its simplicity. Nothing shouts out at the reader, and the feel is calm and relaxing; which is conducive to reading poetry. In the sidebar, Sharon has links to just about every blog and website in existence. There are also plenty of posts about things that she finds interesting, with plenty of links. This means that even if you don’t like poetry, this blog has plenty to offer. Sharon does a nice job of including plenty of pictures to go along with her posts.
Watermark is a great blog for poetry lovers, and poetry haters alike. Sharon has created a wonderful place to come and reflect on the things that matter in life. Her writing and poetry take us all to a place we long to visit and return to.
Watermark