TRANSPLANTED from Europe to Phoenix over 45 years ago, Poet David Chorlton was immediately captivated by the desert, but he did not create poems about it for years.
“To a European the desert is a new experience. It took me more than a decade to learn about what lives and grows here and to absorb the nature of a spare, dry country that produces its own tension and the beauty of life that wastes nothing.”
Many of his poems are steeped in desert scenes and wildlife, reflecting both a reverence and connection to the natural world. His poems often begin as small observations that build into larger understandings. “My poems progress by trying to create an aesthetic out of the observations. I think of the process as akin to dreaming, when a dream gathers whatever is on my mind and arranges it to fit its own needs.”
David spends a great deal of time observing and writing. “I lead a quiet life. Writing is one thing that illuminates it and, more importantly, it adds to my sense of what is around me. Writing helps me find words to better understand what goes on out of reach. Language doesn’t think for us, but it does sharpen and clarify our thoughts.” Dreams and the subconscious play a big part in the creation of his poems. “I have long equated poetry with dreaming, and credit my subconscious with my best writing moments.”
For many years he and his wife lived in the Willo district of Phoenix, then moved to Ahwatukee in the southeastern corner of the metro area about ten years ago. After 44 years of marriage, he was widowed in 2020. He is now surrounded by his dog, two adopted cats and three rescued birds. “Once the creature chores are done, I can get back into my mind to see whether there is anything worth excavating.” Poetry is both his art and a way to stay grounded. “I suppose I could easily have become a cranky individual who talks to himself during daily walks. Writing poetry is more socially acceptable!”
David is a prolific writer, publishing over 40 poetry collections and chapbooks from small presses. His latest book is Desert of Earthly Delights from Cholla Needles in Joshua Tree, California. Sharing his work through books and readings is an important aspect of his art. “I hope whatever I write goes where it will be read, so it becomes a communication with strangers if all goes well.” He enjoys reading at local venues like Changing Hands and Esso Coffee House. “Writing is often the art of an introvert, while presenting the final work calls for more of an extrovert. The least I expect, even from myself, is to read as though the poem matters.”
Although David is also a talented photographer and painter, it is only recently that he has paired paintings with poems. “A traditional approach to painting landscape or nature is to depict a specific scene, but painting nature doesn’t have to mean painting what is seen. On occasion I translate nature into a kind of watercolor abstraction. The colors flow as the work takes form and the medium has a life of its own. So, a painting and a poem often develop side-by-side as they address nature.”
The following combination of poem and painting, “Sun Rising,” is a lovely example of the poet collecting images and allowing them to subtly expand into deeper themes. “I have a great view of the sunrise on South Mountain each morning. The painting lives from its textures, while the poem associates what I see with that dream self. I am reassured that my immediate surroundings can stimulate creativity.”
Our current climate crisis is never far from David’s thoughts. “There has been a lot of poetry written and published that adds to the shared understanding of why we should be concerned. The accumulated effect of many voices is beneficial even if there are no statistics to measure it by. Poetry can sidestep scientific complexity and be both profound and simple at once. Given the chance to communicate, poetry really can be the individual voice that shines a light on collective concerns.”
More at davidchorlton.mysite.com.
Sun Rising
Slow light on the awakening road, a thrasher
calling up the sun, the sky breathes in, breathes
out, a dream floats away
without knowing how it ends. Desert red,
a world apart. No interest rates, no headlines, just
a jackrabbit who listens
to the stones whispering. It’s too early
for suffering to begin
or souls to rise
in protest. It’s beautiful to see
the ancient sun the people here before
worshipped as it rose
and whit-whit now the mountain
holds its heart up for all the world to see.
Dee Cohen is a Prescott poet and photographer. deecohen@cox.net.
