Voice Over: Val Cole

-----
Get to know the poet:

1) What is the theme of your poem?

It's about my paternal grandfather. I wanted to write a poem "to" him and to "honor" him in a way, to make up a dialogue where I'm communicating with him.

2) What motivated you to write this poem?

I don't know anything about my paternal family, so a lot of what I do is imagine random people and what they'd be like. I wanted to see if there was anyway I could voice that in writing, since it's not something I particularly would like to talk about.

3) How long have you been writing poetry?

I've been writing for about 4 to 5 years now. As a kid, I tried to be the boy who journaled all the time, but it didn't stick. Only when I got older did I learn how to write routinely (or something like that).

4) If you could have dinner with one person (dead or alive), who would that be?

At this point in time, I'd most likely would to have dinner with Lizzie Miles. She was Afro-Creole blues singer popular during the early and mid-1900s. I love listening to recordings of her powerhouse singing and her switching back and forth between French and English lyrics. She was fantastic! I'm a singer and I love music, so it would be awesome!

5) What influenced you to submit to have your poetry performed by a professional actor?

I wanted to see what it would look and sound like for someone else to perform my work. Plus, I figured it would be fun to do. I'm very new to putting my work out into the world, whether that's performing on stage, doing readings, or submitting to journals and contests.

6) Do you write other works? scripts? Short Stories? Etc..?

Besides poetry, I write music (mostly R&B, arias, soul, indie-ish), short stories, and the occasional essay. Lately, I've been gravitating towards writing more prose and more scripts. I have some projects that may turn out to be something. Hopefully!

7) What is your passion in life?

My biggest passions in life are music and writing. I love the two as a means of expressing myself, storytelling, and reaching out to people. I also love history, genealogy, etymology, languages, and research. I'm a big nerd for learning!

____

POEM:

I wish I could’ve met you
That you could’ve told me stories about your childhood, your family, anything
I wish we could’ve had coffee together, or a breakfast as foreign to me as everyday-bacon
Maybe sausage, Virginia-style! Or Carolina grits, anything!
I got too many missed chances with folks,
I had absolutely no chance of gettin’ to know you
I pray you were enough of a God-fearin’ man, pray Heaven is where you are
Maybe we could meet there, or maybe we were never meant to know of each other
Only God knows.