At the start... I do not recall the particular morning that led me to start writing about the sunrise but I do know that being up until dawn and the view from my window facing east in my Manhattan hi-rise on the East River were the trappings that made me set my clock, wake up before dawn next morning, head outside into that March chill, and begin what would eventually become Just Another Sunrise, Poems to the Sun.
The book...
What do we all have in common?
We are all, every one of us, under the sun.
The twenty-four poems of Just Another Sunrise capture the essence of twenty-four East River dawns on random mornings over the course of one year. Look across the East River from downtown Manhattan and watch the sun break over the horizon of rooftops, steeples, and smoke stacks that make up neighborhoods of Brooklyn and Queens. No two sunrises are ever alike. Changing weather, air quality and clarity, the lay of the clouds, even the presence of wind, birds, and tugboats on the water make each sunrise unique and distinctive in the way its light first shimmers in the ripples of the river and then sets fire to the day.
These poems take us beyond descriptive distinctions to add the poetic qualities of voice, imagery, language, music, attitude, and rhythm to each sunrise. They are about the poet’s creative and emotional response to the rising sun as a living thing – as real, raw, honest, and unpredictable as any human-to-human relationship might be.
As a native and lifetime resident of New York City, and a musician and songwriter, Fred infuses each of these “songs” to the sunrise with the voices, styles, and attitudes of the city’s streets. He argues. He rhapsodizes. He sings. He articulates his morning world by conveying the singular wonder of each sunrise he witnesses – even those hidden from view – and surprises us with the invention and improvisational artistry of his response. The result is satisfying and rewarding and compels us to keep reading from one sunrise to the next, straight on through to the concluding "Post Mortem," an intriguing optimistic philosophical plea. A bonus of "Fun Sun Stuff" offers bits of solar-related information to round out this one-of-a-kind poetic experience.
Snippets from a late bloomer I am not late at becoming a talented writer and musician. I am late in starting to share these talents by publishing my first book,
Just Another Sunrise, Poems to the Sun. Hallelujah! Naivete Born in the blizzard of ’48 / Insulated from the world of hate / Thank you, Mama, but your love and protection / Left me wide open in a world of deception / Got nothin’ up my sleeve / Being naïve . . . .
Someone else might take for granted the daily phenomenon of Earth’s rotation bringing the sun into view. My naivete gives rise to a childlike sense of wonder about the magnitude of Helios, my favorite name for the sun, and its effect on the Earth and on me, where on random mornings over the run of a year I rose before dawn, dressed, went outside, and wrote poems to its rising.
Peace I was born in the Bronx on the very day Mahatma Gandhi died. I like to think I picked up his mantle – quietly, privately. Peaceful at heart, I try to be non-confrontational. Voices raised in anger (including my own) make me nervous. Had only two physical fights my whole life: one short fist fight when I was ten (no injuries to either of us), and one ‘fight’ in my late teens that barely qualified as a scuffle.
Confession Raised Roman Catholic, I feel that confession is not only good for the soul, but can make poems resonate when they communicate an indisputable element of truth. Yes, I’m talking about my book, Just Another Sunrise, Poems to the Sun. Have a look. I know you won’t regret it.
Fred Simpson is a native and life-long resident of New York City. Its diversity and vibrancy have significantly influenced his eclectic taste and style in poetry and music – a songwriter and accomplished percussionist known to accompany his poetry readings and those of others with his drumming. Fred has been a featured reader at various poetry series including the Saturn Series and Nomad’s Choir, both of Manhattan, and the Green Pavilion and Ken Siegelman’s Poetry Outreach, both of Brooklyn. His poems appear in a variety of publications such as Mobius, The Poetry Magazine’s 29th & 30th Editions, The Venetian Hour/Dinner with the Muse Vol. II, Estrellas en el Fuego 2014 Anthology, Riverside Poetry Anthology, Vols.13&14, and The Culvert Chronicles, an on-line publication. He is currently working on his second book, a series of poems about New York City.
