- Napa Valley Marketplace Magazine
Arts In April - Painting Pictures with Words

We often consider art as visual. Whether it be a sculpture, a painter’s creation on canvas made from oil and color, tints and hues, the composition itself leading our eyes through the scene. But the words of a poet, written on paper, take form we may see as we read, but hearing the words, the rhythm . . . the speed . . . the work of a poet paints a picture we see—even though our eyes may be closed. Just as an artist captures the shimmer of light on the crest of a wave, a glare—a poet will capture the same glint, or twinkle, or sparkle or flare, painting the picture with words.
Marianne Lyon
Napa County’s Poet Laureate (2021-2023)
Author of over 240 published poems, Marianne encourages others to “ignite their inner poet.” As she notes in her comments on the Napa County Poet Laureate website, “Through my teaching career, there are few people I have met who have not been brushed by poetry. Their stories inspired songs, verse, even quirky rhymes. Often their memories haloed their verse. Poetry is part of everyone’s life even if they are not aware of it.”
When I asked Marianne how she conjures the words with which she crafts her work, she replied with a poem.
A POEM SUMMONS ME
She summons me to converse with her
seeks me out from I don’t know where
maybe India’s Ganges Montana Rockies
Words open my eyes I see myself
Verbs climb me up to jagged top of highest mountain
below my childhood ripples like a stream fed from snowy peak
Her voice is true song of my speechless soul
I feel myself break loose into an abyss
wait for another verse of my life to appear
Poetic inspiration takes form in subtle ways for Marianne. Listening to classical music or the watching an artist compose a painting. As a music teacher for 39 years, inspiration flowed . . .
VIBRATO TAKE 2
Do you have a moment to listen
for just a little while
away from your daunting to-do’s
Lean into that which is beyond words
Go even farther than the melody
Where sounds become a threshold
into a way of being
Harmony renders as if
breathing over me like a god
I can’t comprehend the immensity
any more than
a teacup can collect a waterfall
My own breathing captures
imitates magnified trembling phrases
Gorgeously I drink from minor timbre
inviting me on journey
Enthralling seconds carry
entangle me in pain and joy
sounds seem to unshutter my soul
I feel myself seeing flowers
unwrapping their petals
Sounds trails off like skywriting
Can you still taste canorous current
smooth like honey from a spoon
Do not forget this moment
It could mean everything
Joey DeNatale Honored as Napa County Youth Poet Laureate (2022)
In his junior year at Vintage High School, Joey is a very busy young man. In addition to his one-year term as our youth poet ambassador, he also enjoys playing football, and singing with the Chamber and Concert choirs. Joey shares his time volunteering in the community.
To hear and see Joey recite his original work, AUTUMN BREEZE, please check out his introduction to the 2022 Napa County Poetry Out Loud Competition (see links below.) Not only does Joey recite his original work, the Poetry Out Loud Competition also shines a light on some very talented local teens.
Poetry Out Loud is a national arts education program that encourages the study of great poetry by offering free educational materials and a dynamic recitation competition for high school students across the country. This program helps students master public speaking skills, build self-confidence, and learn about literary history and contemporary life. Since 2005, Poetry Out Loud has grown to reach more than 4 million students and 65,000 teachers from 16,000 schools in every state, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, and American Samoa.
From the Arts Council Napa Valley press release: “The first-place winner and recipient of a $200 award is Mistura Bankole, 11th grade (American Canyon High School). The first runner up winner and recipient of a $100 award is Paige Rosal, 10th grade (American Canyon High School). The competition, presented in partnership with Arts Council Napa Valley, California Arts Council, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Poetry Foundation, is part of a national program that encourage