Poem of the Day: “All the Way Out Here” by Kaitlyn Frazier

Songs of Eretz Poetry Review is pleased to present “All the Way Out Here” by Kaitlyn Frazier. Ms. Frazier was born and raised in Florence, Alabama and graduated from Central High School. Her senior year, she was awarded an honorable mention in the North Alabama Renaissance Sonnet Writing Contest for her poem, “Old One,” which was later published in the Lauderdale County literary magazine Sweet Inspirations. Her poetry has also appeared in: Belle Reve Literary Journal, Belleville Park Pages, Corner Club Press, and Poetry Pacific. Ms. Frazier is currently a nineteen-year-old mother and sophomore at Northwest-Shoals Community College where she aspires to be an English major. 

All the Way Out Here

Kaitlyn Frazier

My view from the porch

Includes a pasture with a fence

Spread out; ember grass sways; fiery torches

Ideas of leaving flit by with pretense.

Woe, that everyone could view things as I,

When here one is overcome with peace.

Who would want to leave,

This porch where leaves blot out the sky

Shaded in refuge and worldly release?

The cowbirds and chickadees warble away,

The dogs chase rabbits through the torch grass.

‘tis amusing to watch them leap and bark,

In such a careless yet animated way.

Rarely does a car trespass

The road; the road in which

My house and porch comfortably abode.

I’m sure these drivers pass by

And think, ‘Boy, aren’t they queer?’

For all heads turn and gaze at the road,

When the hum of a car sidles by this place,

All the way out here.

Poet’s Notes:  Of course, this piece was actually written on my front porch. I am a southern girl from a small town of Cloverdale, Alabama, and front-porch-sittin’ is important, especially on hot summer days. The setting is a description of my home place, and the dogs that chase rabbits are my mutts that we have adopted over the years. Plus, the rabbits still have a warren beside our driveway, which I find remarkable since our deceased Oliver annihilated at least three rabbits a day continuously. Needless to say he was fat.

One thing that I had to include in this poem is the fact that if you are southern and hardly anyone lives on your road, then literally every single car that passes by, you absolutely have to look at it. One, it’s a small town, so you may know who it is; two, humans are naturally curious and have to look at anything that moves. To me, the last stanza is sort of an inside joke, because my family and I are notorious for stopping whatever activity and gawking at the passing vehicle; then we look at each other, realize what we just did, and laugh.

Editor’s Note:  There is strong stuff here, particularly the intricate and beautiful rhyme scheme. The poet’s play on "leave" and "leaves" in the second stanza is inspired, as is her choice of "torches" in the first stanza followed by "torch" in the third. Her use of "road" three times in the final stanza, rhyming with "abode," causes one to think of roads leading to and away from home--a nice image.