Marsha Bordner talks about her passion for poetry to a packed crowd at Beach Glass Lounge on Feb. 11. (Photo by Sheri Trusty)

BY SHERI TRUSTY

MARBLEHEAD – The arts are the life-breath of a community. People of different walks of life, different stages of life, and different philosophies of life can meld into gentle agreement when a song is sung, a portrait is painted, or a poem is read.

“It helps keep a community alive, if the arts are strong,” said Marsha Bordner as she presented “The Art of Poetry,” the first talk in the 4-Part Lecture Series hosted by the Greater Port Clinton Area Arts Council at Beach Glass Lounge on Feb. 11.

Bordner is a former English college professor and a retired president of Terra State Community College, but her love affair with poetry began when she was just a little girl. During her talk, she shared the poem that sparked her passion for poetry: “Grass” by Carl Sandburg.

Bordner was in elementary school when she first heard the poem. Its brief 11 lines impacted her view of the world and opened her eyes to the power of words.

“What is the role of the grass? Covering up the past. It takes away the memories,” she said of the poem. “When told like this, it sticks with you in a way a history book can’t. This said to me that, really, war is awful.”

GPCAAC Exhibit Chair Jonnie Myers Debbink, left, and Marsha Bordner pause for a photo before Bordner presents “The Art of Poetry” at Beach Glass Lounge on Feb. 11 as part of the Greater Port Clinton Area Arts Council’s 4-Part Lecture Series.. (Photo by Sheri Trusty)

Bordner shared two more poems, both by Mary Oliver, an Ohio native who maneuvered through the trauma of childhood abuse by integrating herself into the natural world. Her poetry expresses her observations of nature and the lessons it taught her.

Both of the Oliver poems that Bordner read – “Wild Geese” and “When Death Comes” – followed a pattern of powerful, frightening images and a shift to optimism. They seem to mimic nature’s balm upon Oliver’s life. Her mind’s horrifying images of abuse were overshadowed by the serenity of nature.

“So much of her poetry is about embracing nature, embracing all – even death,” Bordner said. “She was abused as a child and turned to nature. She made a world out of words.”

As a room full of people listened to Bordner read poems that had impacted her life, the differences between those in the room were imperceivable. For those moments, they linked minds and hearts around the throne of art.

“There is a commonality in art. It brings out our common humanity,” Bordner said. “Art stays in our hearts. It’s one thing to tell you. It’s another thing to embed it on your heart.”

The 4-Part Lecture Series continues on Feb. 25 when Jeanette Oleksa presents “The Art of Costume Design.” The event will be held at Beach Glass Lounge. Tickets are $50. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit https://www.gpcaac.org/about-1-2.