Category Archives: poetry

US Review of Books: Recommends Thrown Again into the Frazzle Machine

THROWN AGAIN into the FRAZZLE MACHINE: Poems of Grace, Hope, and Healing

Exciting news to share with you! My book, “Thrown Again into the Frazzle Machine,” is Recommended by US Review of Books! Yay! I am most grateful. Here is the review:

Thrown Again into the Frazzle Machine: Poems of Grace, Hope, and Healing by Margaret Dubay Mikus, Ph.D., Three Heart Press, reviewed by Donna Ford

“…take this lifeboat with me through some rough seas and calm, into the streaming light on the far shore. Let me tell you a story…”

Whether in the midst of a stormy period of life or having recently passed through such a time, you will instantly relate to what the author means by being thrown into the Frazzle Machine. Beating multiple sclerosis, breast cancer, and other health issues, Mikus remains so much more than a survivor. Taking inspiration from her full life as a wife, mother, daughter, sister, and friend, she demonstrates how to overcome.

This collection of poignant poems resonates with the input of two halves of one skillful poet. The research biologist can be recognized by her wielding of medical knowledge and naming body parts unmentionable in polite company. The living woman pours out her experiences on behalf of readers who need support to pull themselves up by the bootstraps and move into future healing. Mikus’ sensitive words warm the reader similar to the gentle touch of a friend on the sufferer’s shoulder. Balancing the high drama inherent in hospital stays and visits is a series of poems titled “Evening Walks.” Vivid colors of the sky, trees, and glowing paths fade into evening to bring elements of peaceful closure to the often tiresome days of life.

Mikus has previously proven her skill as a poet of note by winning an Eric Hoffer award for As Easy As Breathing. Her lines of poetry are short and rhythmic, almost like a heartbeat. Punctuation is fluid to maintain the steady flow of thoughts and experiences. Repetition of key phrases is a technique used for emphasis, for example, “be loving… be joyful… be a good example.” The book is to be commended for its extensive Table of Contents and a Time Line covering events in the poet’s life between 2009 and 2014. These two organizational strategies help tie a specific poem to an actual life event.

RECOMMENDED by the US Review
© 2016 All Rights Reserved

“Driving I-55” from “Frazzle”

One original intention for my book, “Thrown Again into the Frazzle Machine: Poems of Grace, Hope, and Healing,” was to be a lifeboat through hard times. I know many people who are struggling right now. With this in mind, I began making videos reading a poem a day, starting at the beginning of the book. This was something I could do to maybe reach out and help someone…including me. (Most of the poems are less than 2 minutes.)

So…for a very different scene from the winter storm passing through the Midwest today, give a listen to Poem 11, “Driving I-55”: https://youtu.be/IAcL0uxpXxk

What’s going on with you today?

Listen to more video poems from “Frazzle”

“Inspired by Something Partly Heard on the Radio” from “Frazzle”

Daily process for recording:
I wait until the house is settled for the night and the kitchen is tidied up. My husband goes to bed early and I set up my camera tripod next to our old maple kitchen table. Precariously I prop up my iPhone with a folded towel underneath to catch it if it falls. I turn on extra lights to chase the shadows and close the blinds to eliminate glare. After a few practice runs I take a deep breath and record. Originally I had a rule I had to get it in one take, but that puts unwanted pressure on me…and I was making up the rules in any case. If I am going to do this project (over a year’s worth of video-poems, one per day) it has to be relatively easy. I am learning as I go along. (Before this I had never made a video using my phone except by accident.)

Just like life, right? Show up every day. Do my best in the moment. Freely give the gifts I have to offer. Receive the love that comes to me. Heal as best I can, myself and all around me. “Start where I am. Use what I have, Do what I can.” (Arthur Ashe)

A good example of that was a concert we attended tonight by Joe Crookston, gifted singer-songwriter, performer, painter, etc. A man both intensely curious and willing to risk. A Chicago area snow storm was blowing outside and he stood calm in a beautiful temple, in front of vivid floor-to-ceiling, stained-glass windows. Next to him was his shadow on the wall, singing along. He opened us up with his songs and stories, his humor and humanness, and his invitation to sing as well. The time flew by and we all went back out into the storm uplifted. Truly, he is a healer. I am most grateful.

What has inspired you lately?

Poem 10 from Thrown Again into the Frazzle Machine: Poems of Grace, Hope, and Healing: https://youtu.be/mDB8ioZKQcQ

Listen to more video poems from “Frazzle”

“Knowing What I Know…” from “Frazzle”

My husband Stephen and I met in college in January of 1972. I was 19 and he was 7 months older. We are no longer those people, who after becoming friends, fell in love that first summer and got married (once I graduated). We’ve changed over and over in 42 years of marriage. Often change is not in sync. It’s like that Bruce Springsteen song, “And if I fall behind, wait for me…” But we’ve been determined and worked through it all…to stay together.

Tonight we went to a powerfully moving recital by opera singer, Joyce Didonato. She continues to be a big inspiration for me to be fearless (including doing this video series). Because I wanted to see her, Stephen encouraged me to get the tickets. He found a lovely new sushi restaurant in Chicago and we made it through traffic to get parked and into the performance in good time, a feat in itself. Stephen liked it. I loved it, even tearing up by her last encore.

That’s one thing that’s kept us close. We each bring something different to the relationship. We’re willing to try something new. And we support each other. I am most grateful. What relationships are you grateful for?

Here is Poem 9 from Thrown Again into the Frazzle Machine: Poems of Grace, Hope, and Healing: https://youtu.be/VLhrqr0rk6k

Listen to more video poems from “Frazzle”

“One Day When I Am Gone” from “Frazzle”

What do I want to say here today, if anything? Sometimes silence is best. Give a little space to breathe, to reflect.

So right now, as you read this, pause for a moment and take a deep breath. If you’re feeling stressed that breath probably stayed in the chest. If you can, give it another go, this time allow the belly to rise with the deep breath in, perhaps like you are filling all the interior space all the way down to the tips of your toes. And then slowly let it out. Perhaps breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth (very grounding). Letting out some of the tightness with the warm out-breath. Repeat if you wish. Let your shoulders drop, allow the tension you are carrying to gently fall off, just for now. Continue breathing…in…out…in…out…  How do you feel now?

For a while, whenever I checked in with my body I felt like I wasn’t breathing. Since I was conscious I must have been breathing, but the energy was not filling me up. And over time this takes its toll. One healthy goal is to retrain myself to breathe like this, from the belly like babies do naturally.

Here is Poem 8 from Thrown Again into the Frazzle Machine: Poems of Grace, Hope,and Healing:  https://youtu.be/5t0zK4MglS8

Listen to more video poems from “Frazzle”