{"id":13452,"date":"2023-04-11T12:50:11","date_gmt":"2023-04-11T16:50:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thealfam.com\/evermore\/public\/?p=13452"},"modified":"2026-07-28T13:18:34","modified_gmt":"2026-07-28T17:18:34","slug":"oklahoma-poet-laureate-nathan-brown-says-less-is-more-when-talking-about-grief-in-his-poem-nevertheless-it-moves","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thealfam.com\/evermore\/oklahoma-poet-laureate-nathan-brown-says-less-is-more-when-talking-about-grief-in-his-poem-nevertheless-it-moves\/","title":{"rendered":"Oklahoma Poet Laureate Nathan Brown Says Less Is More When Talking About Grief In His Poem \u201cNevertheless, It Moves\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"[vc_row type=”in_container” full_screen_row_position=”middle” column_margin=”default” column_direction=”default” column_direction_tablet=”default” column_direction_phone=”default” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” row_border_radius=”none” row_border_radius_applies=”bg” row_position_desktop=”default” row_position_tablet=”inherit” row_position_phone=”inherit” overflow=”visible” overlay_strength=”0.3″ gradient_direction=”left_to_right” shape_divider_position=”bottom” bg_image_animation=”none”][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_tablet=”inherit” column_padding_phone=”inherit” column_padding_position=”all” flex_gap_desktop=”10px” column_element_direction_desktop=”default” column_element_spacing=”default” desktop_text_alignment=”default” tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_backdrop_filter=”none” column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” column_link_target=”_self” column_position=”default” gradient_direction=”left_to_right” overlay_strength=”0.3″ width=”1\/1″ tablet_width_inherit=”default” animation_type=”default” bg_image_animation=”none” border_type=”simple” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid”][vc_column_text]I<\/span> lost a best friend, fellow vagabond, and gifted poet to a long battle with cancer. We traveled and performed together for years. We joked over homemade-hotel-room drinks about how the $31 we raked in from the donations for the night\u2019s house concert, or whatever it was we could drum up, weren\u2019t even enough to pay for the liquor we\u2019d bought before the gig. And he walked with me through the shadows of the \u201crelative loss\u201d of my young daughter through divorce. (Although, now in her mid-20s, we are as healed and close as can be.)<\/span><\/p>\n

Towards the end of his time, we sometimes cried in late-night restaurants about his impending fate \u2014 how it would affect his kids, how his wife would eventually have to move on. We sometimes laughed about it all too\u2026 to keep from dying sooner than necessary. He had a precocious, and often precarious, sense of humor in the face of last things.<\/span><\/p>\n

Watching Jim die, so slowly, paired with what I went through with my daughter, had a profound and permanent effect on me. His had to do with: Do this thing. Don\u2019t sit around talking about it. The world needs poetry. The ride\u2019s over before you know it. So don\u2019t mess around. Finish the book. Publish it yourself. The other presses are too slow. Then, get to work on the next one.<\/span><\/p>\n

Where my daughter is concerned, the effect was even more profound. For, basically, she is the reason I\u2019ve written a poem a day for over two decades. I began to journal, for her, in a way, every day in the wake of her long absences. I wanted a record that she was always in my heart, and on my mind. And that daily journaling habit quickly turned into my daily poem habit, and, thus, 26 books.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Poetry, to me, is uniquely qualified among the written arts to speak to the hearts and souls of those who have lost someone dear. Loss is a time for quietness, a time for speaking softly\u2026 if at all. Therefore, poetry\u2019s special gift for leaving out <\/span>all <\/span><\/i>unnecessary words, makes it perfect for these hurting souls and hard times.<\/span><\/p>\n

So it is that poetry asks the reader to slow down. Don\u2019t read so fast. Let\u2019s breathe. Our words will be few here. The lines will be short. And all that space on the right-hand side of the page will be the comforting silences between the lines, and between us.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In essence, poetry gets to the point. And, if it\u2019s doing its job, it won\u2019t say any of those stupid, mindless things that too many people too often say to us when we\u2019ve experienced profound and inconsolable loss. My father, a pastor, was an absolute master of quiet poise and what <\/span>not<\/span><\/i> to say when he showed up at the heartbroken home, the hospital, or the funeral parlor. I believe my poetry carries this quality of his in its toolbox.<\/span><\/p>\n

About Nathan Brown<\/strong><\/p>\n

Nathan Brown<\/span><\/a> is an author, songwriter, and award-winning poet living in Wimberley, Texas. He holds a Ph.D. in English and Journalism from the University of Oklahoma, where he\u2019s taught for over 20 years. He served as Poet Laureate for the State of Oklahoma in 2013\/14 and now travels full-time performing readings, concerts, workshops and speaking on creativity, poetry, and songwriting. Nathan has published over 20 books. Most recent are his new collection of poems, <\/span>In the Days of Our Seclusion<\/span><\/i><\/a>, the first in a series, now known as the Pandemic Poems Project, that deals with the year of the pandemic, and a new travel memoir <\/span>Just Another Honeymoon in France: A Vagabond at Large<\/span><\/i><\/a>. <\/span>Karma Crisis: New and Selected Poems<\/span><\/i>, was a finalist for the Paterson Poetry Prize and the Oklahoma Book Award. His earlier book, <\/span>Two Tables Over<\/span><\/i><\/a>, won the 2009 Oklahoma Book Award. Brown\u2019s poem \u201cNevertheless, It Moves\u201d comes from his book <\/span>To Sing Hallucinated: First Thoughts on Last Words<\/span><\/i><\/a>.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Resources:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Nathan Brown<\/span><\/a> website<\/p>\n

In the Days of Our Seclusion<\/span><\/i><\/a> by Nathan Brown<\/p>\n

Just Another Honeymoon in France: A Vagabond at Large<\/span><\/i><\/a> by Nathan Brown<\/p>\n

Karma Crisis: New and Selected Poems<\/span><\/i>, by Nathan Brown was finalist for the Paterson Poetry Prize and the Oklahoma Book Award<\/span><\/p>\n

Two Tables Over<\/span><\/i><\/a> by Nathan Brown won the 2009 Oklahoma Book Award<\/span><\/p>\n

To Sing Hallucinated: First Thoughts on Last Words<\/span><\/i><\/a> by Nathan Brown<\/p>\n

Read other acclaimed poets reflections on grief<\/p>\n

“I Want to Listen to Your Absence”<\/strong><\/em><\/h4>\n

“LESS HEAVY THINGS”<\/strong><\/em><\/a><\/h4>\n

“He Checks His Luggage”<\/strong><\/em><\/a><\/h4>\n

“Letter to My Father”<\/em><\/strong><\/a><\/h4>\n

“Old Friend”<\/strong><\/em><\/a><\/h4>\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row type=”full_width_content” full_screen_row_position=”middle” column_margin=”default” equal_height=”yes” content_placement=”middle” column_direction=”default” column_direction_tablet=”default” column_direction_phone=”default” bg_color=”#FAF8F6″ bg_image=”20962″ bg_image_type=”default” bg_position=”center center” background_image_loading=”default” bg_repeat=”no-repeat” scene_position=”center” top_padding=”5%” constrain_group_1=”yes” bottom_padding=”5%” left_padding_desktop=”10%” constrain_group_2=”yes” right_padding_desktop=”10%” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” row_border_radius=”none” row_border_radius_applies=”bg” row_position_desktop=”default” row_position_tablet=”inherit” row_position_phone=”inherit” overflow=”visible” enable_gradient=”true” color_overlay=”#FAF8F6″ color_overlay_2=”#FAF8F6″ overlay_strength=”0.95″ gradient_direction=”left_to_right” shape_divider_position=”bottom” bg_image_animation=”none” gradient_type=”default” shape_type=””][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_tablet=”inherit” column_padding_phone=”inherit” column_padding_position=”all” flex_gap_desktop=”10px” column_element_direction_desktop=”default” column_element_spacing=”default” desktop_text_alignment=”default” tablet_text_alignment=”center” phone_text_alignment=”center” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_backdrop_filter=”none” column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” column_link_target=”_self” column_position=”default” gradient_direction=”left_to_right” overlay_strength=”0.3″ width=”2\/3″ tablet_width_inherit=”default” animation_type=”default” bg_image_animation=”none” border_type=”simple” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid”][nectar_gradient_text heading_tag=”h2″ color=”extra-color-gradient-1″ gradient_direction=”horizontal” text=”Get the Latest Updates”][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1784681150948{margin-top: 15px !important;}” text_direction=”default”]\n

Keep up to date on the latest legislative actions, news, resources, and events advancing bereavement care in America.<\/h4>\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_tablet=”inherit” column_padding_phone=”inherit” column_padding_position=”all” flex_gap_desktop=”10px” column_element_direction_desktop=”default” column_element_spacing=”default” desktop_text_alignment=”default” tablet_text_alignment=”center” phone_text_alignment=”center” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_backdrop_filter=”none” column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” column_link_target=”_self” column_position=”default” gradient_direction=”left_to_right” overlay_strength=”0.3″ width=”1\/3″ tablet_width_inherit=”default” animation_type=”default” bg_image_animation=”none” border_type=”simple” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid”][vc_row_inner column_margin=”default” column_direction=”default” column_direction_tablet=”default” column_direction_phone=”default” text_align=”right” row_position=”default” row_position_tablet=”inherit” row_position_phone=”inherit” overflow=”visible” pointer_events=”all”][vc_column_inner column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_tablet=”inherit” column_padding_phone=”inherit” column_padding_position=”all” column_element_direction_desktop=”default” column_element_spacing=”default” desktop_text_alignment=”right” tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_backdrop_filter=”none” column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” column_link_target=”_self” overflow=”visible” gradient_direction=”left_to_right” overlay_strength=”0.3″ width=”1\/1″ tablet_width_inherit=”default” animation_type=”default” bg_image_animation=”none” border_type=”simple” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid” column_padding_type=”default” content_layout=”default” gradient_type=”default”][nectar_cta btn_style=”arrow-animation” arrow_animation_alignment=”left” heading_tag=”span” link_type=”new_tab” button_color=”accent-color” button_color_hover=”#247CC1″ text_color=”#FFFFFF” text_color_hover=”#FFFFFF” button_border_thickness=”2px” alignment=”center” alignment_tablet=”default” alignment_phone=”default” display=”block” display_tablet=”inherit” display_phone=”inherit” link_text=”Sign Up Now” font_size_desktop=”1.1em” url=”https:\/\/thealfam.com\/evermore\/mailing-list\/” padding_top=”0.65em” padding_bottom=”0.65em” padding_left=”1.5em” padding_right=”1.5em”][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

[vc_row type=”in_container” full_screen_row_position=”middle” column_margin=”default” column_direction=”default” column_direction_tablet=”default” column_direction_phone=”default” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” row_border_radius=”none” row_border_radius_applies=”bg” row_position_desktop=”default” row_position_tablet=”inherit” row_position_phone=”inherit” overflow=”visible” overlay_strength=”0.3″ gradient_direction=”left_to_right” shape_divider_position=”bottom” bg_image_animation=”none”][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_tablet=”inherit” column_padding_phone=”inherit” column_padding_position=”all” flex_gap_desktop=”10px” column_element_direction_desktop=”default” column_element_spacing=”default” desktop_text_alignment=”default” tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default”…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":13460,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[108,107,101],"tags":[176,174,175],"class_list":["post-13452","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-community","category-family","category-grief","tag-arts","tag-entertainment","tag-poets"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thealfam.com\/evermore\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13452","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thealfam.com\/evermore\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thealfam.com\/evermore\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thealfam.com\/evermore\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thealfam.com\/evermore\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13452"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/thealfam.com\/evermore\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13452\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21694,"href":"https:\/\/thealfam.com\/evermore\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13452\/revisions\/21694"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thealfam.com\/evermore\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13460"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thealfam.com\/evermore\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13452"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thealfam.com\/evermore\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13452"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thealfam.com\/evermore\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13452"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}