Mom was definitely The Word

Our Mother's Day tribute "Mom's the Word" was a wonderful night of presentations and memories for our poetry audience at the Indian Trail Cultural Arts center on May 10. In spite of the inclement weather, we still had a nice turnout to celebrate this special occasion.

A candle was lit to give a moment of silence and reflection for everyone to remember their mothers or the women in their lives who were maternal figures to them. Each person called out the name of their mothers, and were given an opportunity to say something about them, whether they were alive or not. Kym Gordon Moore lead the night's poetry event.

Anne Stewart read two poems this evening: "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" and "The Road Not Taken," both by poet Robert Frost

Our featured poetry tributes came from Anne Stewart, Wayland "Stu" Stewart, Kaelyn Urena and Erin Penland. Kym Gordon Moore also read a heartwarming poem written by Dwight Roth, who paid tribute to his mother just before she passed away. Scrolls of poetry were available on the center's "Poet Tree" for anyone who wanted to read a poem, but did not bring one with them. Anne Stewart leads basket weaving classes at the Indian Trail Cultural Arts Center. She fell in love with the craft about 20 years ago and one of her baskets can be seen on the white pedestal next to her husband in the photo below. If you would like to learn more about Anne's class be sure to contact Susan Didier at 704-821-2541.

Wayland "Stu" Stewart read "In School-days" written by John Greenleaf Whittier

Wayland is an engineer by profession, but is also an incurable romantic. He read "In School-days" many years ago and loved it. He admitted that his second favorite poem is the Maud Muller poem (the saddest words of tongue or pen), but with similar nostalgia. The audience loved and appreciated his tribute.

Erin Penland took a brief break from her painting and shared a personal poem she wrote that enveloped experiences from her childhood.

Susan Didier was presented with a special gift of appreciation for her contributions to the Indian Trail Cultural Arts Center and the community.

Kaelyn Urena recited two beautiful poems to honor mothers during the evening. She brought a lot of wit and spirit in her presentation.

Multi-Media artist Erin Penland and contemporary artist Mark Hassler contributed to the evening's event with their pictorial renditions of poetry that was recited throughout the evening.

Erin Penland and Mark Hassler at work on their paintings surrounding the energy of the poetry presented throughout the night.

The second Saturday of each month is reserved for an array of poetry events held at the Indian Trail Cultural Arts Center. The next reading in June will pay special tribute to fathers in celebration of Father's Day. A poetry workshop for kids is planned for the second Saturday in July. The Cultural Arts Center received a lot of inquiries from interested parents and this is an ideal time to put our young poets on center stage. All poetry events held monthly at the Indian Trail Cultural Arts Center is FREE, unless otherwise noted. All of the events are designed for family enjoyment.