Anneliese Finke's Poetry

Author: Anneliese

Wisconsin Fellowship of Poets Calendar 2025

I’m incredibly honored to be included in the Wisconsin Fellowship of Poets upcoming Poets’ Calendar for 2025! The theme for the 2025 calendar is “shine” – and my poem “Kintsugi” appears on page 67, right at the beginning of summer. And so you know, the calendar is a full-on spiral-bound 170 page planner – so it’s poetic and useful!

If you live in Wisconsin, it’s carried at some local bookstores (I can’t say how surprisingly moving it was to run across it in a random bookstore in Door County and pick it up and see my work there, for sale, in a real physical bookstore!), and it’s also available online (the list of bookstores as well as online purchasing is at this website): https://www.wfop.org/poets-calendar-1.

September 18, 2024
The Lake Is Mother To Us All

Christopher Kolon, the Poet Laureate of Kenosha, wanted to create a project that would “celebrate the relationship between the people of Wisconsin (Kenosha County in particular) and Lake Michigan,” and so The Lake Is Mother To Us All was born.

A collection of poems by 36 local writers, the poems will be appearing in storefronts in Kenosha this summer. In addition, they were compiled into a chapbook. I think this might be the first time that I’ve appeared in a book that you can purchase on Amazon! It’s $10, and you can buy it here.

But you don’t need to purchase the book (although I have a copy – it’s really nice!). The poems are also available to read on the project’s website so that they’re available to everyone. So check them out here!

April 30, 2024
ArtAsPoetryAsArt 2024!

ArtAsPoetryAsArt is back again for 2024! If you missed it before, it’s a project that pairs up poets and artists (mainly through the Lakeshore Artists Guilds in Manitowoc); you submit an artwork or a poem, then you are paired up and create a second one based on your pairing. I love things like this that combine multiple art forms – and if you’re in the area, you can see it this summer at the Manitowoc Public Library until June 7!

If you can’t make it up there, though, you can also see the poems and artworks for 2024 online here.

Let me know if you run into any issues with it, and please enjoy! The world can always use more art, I say!

April 5, 2024
Sheboygan/Stevens Point Poetry Walk – April 2024

April is National Poetry Month, and this April, there’s going to be a Poetry Walk in Sheboygan and Stevens Point. WordHaven BookHouse in Sheboygan, Bound to Happen Books in Stevens Point, and Sheboygan poet laureate Lisa Vihos coordinated it; for the month of April, local businesses in both cities will be displaying poems in their windows! And I’m happy to say that one of my poems is in the window at WordHaven BookHouse!

March 29, 2024
Tabi Po – Spring 2024, Issue 2

My poem “Lost City” is appearing in Issue 2 of Tabi Po, a new online literary journal out of Milwaukee (and a great monthly open mic!). The theme of the issue was Cities & Borders – you can read it online here. And while you’re there, check out their open mic schedule and featured readers and stop by if you’re in Milwaukee!

March 1, 2024
Confession
```
		by Anna Akhmatova

I clasped my hands below my dark veil…
“My child, what’s made you so pale?”
– That I poured him bitter grief
Until he was drunk with it.

How can I forget? He left, stumbling,
His mouth curved in pain.
I ran downstairs, not touching the rail –
I chased him to the gate.

Panting, I shouted, “A joke!
That’s all! If you leave – I’ll die.”
His smile was dreadfully calm –
“Don’t stand out in this wind.”
```
March 1, 2024

This poem is a translation of a poem by the great Russian poet Anna Akhmatova. This is one of my favorite poems of hers – what an ending! Thanks to Sasha Dorofeev, who helped explain the literal translation of the original Russian, and also to my father Detmar Finke, who had a mind and an ear for poetry and helped with the final English version. You can find many translations of it online if you want to compare – just searching for “Akhmatova dark veil” will pull up a lot.
March 1, 2024

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If I had a little secret
```
I’d let you in, lifting up
the corner of my blanket fort,
scooting over to make room.

We’ll share a flashlight, casting
shadows like warpaint over our faces,
turning our grins terrible and fierce.

And we will be fearless, young
and fearless, and laugh
at the dark surrounding us.
```
February 22, 2024

Another poem from the generative poetry workshop I attend via Zoom. One of the things that happens when you’re restricted in the amount of time you can write (12 minutes in this group) is that I often end up being unsure as to whether I’m actually done or not. Even looking at it now the next day, I’m not sure I’m happy with the ending or if it needs to go further.
February 22, 2024

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Untitled Sijo
```
Outside, the sun slowly rises out of the lake, like yesterday—
on cue, flowers open, birds are singing, the world wakes and stretches.
Inside, my room is quiet. I lie back down with empty arms.
```
February 17, 2024

I wrote this, my first sijo, for a competition by the Sejong Cultural Society. You can find the winners (not me!), as well as a lot more information on this Korean form of poetry, right here! Although it wasn’t chosen, I’m still fond of what I wrote. Quite melancholy.
February 17, 2024

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Woodland Pattern Poetry Marathon 2024 – Now Online

“Woodland Pattern’s most highly anticipated annual event, the Poetry Marathon is a two-day, 24-hour lyrical extravaganza with performances from more than 300 individual poets, musicians, and moving image artists from Milwaukee and around the globe.”

Now that the livestream of the Poetry Marathon is over, Woodland Pattern has posted the streams for Saturday. January 27 and Sunday, January 28 to YouTube for posterity.

And if you want to jump straight to the Wisconsin Fellowship of Poets block from Sunday, which is where my reading appears, I’ve embedded that below. I realize that it’s just because my last name came first alphabetically, but I’m still a little chuffed that I got to go first!

February 13, 2024
Alligator Morning
```
This morning, everything is still—
the birds wrap their wings about them,
the alligators lie and dream in their frozen swamps.

Their minds are full of sunshine and the taste
of blood, which is only another way
of saying hope—

hope you can sink your teeth into,
hope that is salty and sweet on the tongue,
hope with wings and feathers

and sinew and bone— the memory
carrying them through the long space
between heartbeats
```
January 25, 2024

I’m part of a generative poetry workshop that meets on Zoom, and this poem came out of that. Everyone sends around a poem they like beforehand, and reads it at the start of the meeting; that’s the inspiration for the writing time. It finishes with everyone sharing what they wrote. This one, however, actually came from an NPR article that someone was describing during the meeting (and which I’d seen a photograph from): alligators were “hibernating” because their ponds had frozen during the cold snap, with just the top of their snouts above the ice so they could breathe. Apparently their hearts beat only a few times a minute during this time; once it warms up and the ice melts, they wake up and are completely fine!
January 25, 2024

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2024 Woodland Pattern Poetry Marathon, Streaming Jan. 27-28!

EDIT: Now that this event has passed, the entire thing is available to watch on YouTube! Saturday’s stream is available here and Sunday’s stream is available here.

And if you would like to cheat and skip right to the WFOP section that I’m a part of… you can do that with this link right here! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8EnNfPRavBQ&t=14153s

“Woodland Pattern’s most highly anticipated annual event, the Poetry Marathon is a two-day, 24-hour lyrical extravaganza with performances from 300+ individual poets, musicians, and moving image artists from Milwaukee and around the globe. All 24 hours of the Poetry Marathon will be livestreamed via Crowdcast.”

You can watch online from anywhere since it’s going to be streamed over Crowdcast! I’m one of the participants in the Wisconsin Fellowship of Poets hour, which will be 2-3pm on January 27. More information plus the complete schedule is on Woodland Pattern’s website: https://woodlandpattern.org/poetry-marathon

Here’s the complete participants in that hour: “2 pm-3 pm: WISCONSIN FELLOWSHIP OF POETS (CURATED BY ED WERSTEIN)—Anneliese Finke, Ronnie Hess, Maryann Hurtt, Jim Landwehr, Pepe Oulahan, Amanda Ngoho Reavey, Sheryl Slocum, Katrin Talbot, Tori Grant Welhouse, and Ed Werstein + music by PAVDA (Hal Rammel & Linda Binder). Sponsored by Wisconsin Fellowship of Poets.”

January 22, 2024

Pull Yourself Together

You say you left one foot
on the bus this morning
when you were rushing to work?

Yes, hold on a second— let me
check our lost and found.
Can you please describe this foot?

In a black sandal, got it. And—
are there any distinguishing marks?
No, I’m sorry to pry— it’s just

we do get a lot of lost items here.
You really wouldn’t believe
the ears, fingers, even whole legs—

the people who leave their heart behind
and never notice that it’s gone—

Oh yes, I’m glad you called!
I think I have it here. The sandal—
Clarks, yes? This must be it.

If you could just stop by
within the next two weeks,
we can get that back to you.

I’m sorry, that’s as long
as we can hold it. Our space, you see—
there’s only so much room

for all the pieces people leave behind.

December 17, 2023

This was written in response to one of Rattle‘s Poetry Prompts. Unfortunately, I didn’t realize that they reset each month, and I didn’t write down what the actual prompt was… but you can find the latest ones here if you want to check them out. And also unfortunately, it wasn’t chosen to be published, but so it goes. Wait, hold on… I found the page with previous prompts… it was “write a poem that begins with an idiomatic expression that you take literally or incorrectly, and see where it goes.” Well, there you go – I took the expression “pull yourself together.”

December 17, 2023

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Sidewalk Poetry Workshop 12/9/23

This year will be the second annual Sidewalk Poetry Contest run by Mead Library! Up to three poems will be stamped into the sidewalks around the city (three poems were stamped into the sidewalk in front of Mead last year, so take a look if you’re in the area!). More information/entry information can be found here, deadline January 2: https://www.meadpl.org/sidewalk-poetry

And like last year, I will be running a Sidewalk Poetry Workshop in December (this Saturday, the 9th, in fact – 10am-11am!). It’s a partnership between Mead Library and WordHaven BookHouse, which is where it will be held: https://www.kellydholstine.com/new-events/sidewalk-poetry-workshop-w-anneliese-finke

Full disclosure, I work at Mead Library; however, I am not involved in the sidewalk poetry program itself. I will not be viewing or judging entries (and, in fact, will probably enter myself).

The workshop will be about extremely short form poetry, and in it we will work on generating such poems as well as talk about further cutting. The length limits for the sidewalk poems are very strict: Poems must fit within a maximum of ten lines, including any title and stanza breaks; have no more than 35 characters per line, including punctuation and spaces; and have no more than 225 characters overall, including punctuation and spaces.

December 6, 2023
Facing Silence
```
Does it happen all at once?

You wake up one day
to no alarm, no birds
outside the window—

Purse your lips. Hum.
Speak. Shout. Scream.

Nothing.

Or do you find it slowly,
a little more of a little
less each day,

like a difficult friend
you can learn to live with

because the memories are sweet.
```
September 21, 2023

In January, a new Generative Writing Workshop is going to be coming to Mead Library! So of course, to be able to do one, I had to learn how to do one. Many thanks to Robin Brox for inviting me to the one she’s a part of to see how it worked – I loved it! We shared poems we loved, used those to create ideas and prompts for ourselves, and then wrote. Here’s mine, which is mainly based on both the phrase “Facing the Music” and the idea of trying to contain opposites.
September 21, 2023

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Wisconsin Fellowship of Poets Calendar 2024

Every year, the Wisconsin Fellowship of Poets puts out a Poets’ Calendar. The 2024 calendar is now out, and I have a poem appearing (if you get a chance to look through one, it’s in mid-November!). It’s pretty exciting! If you live in the area, it’s carried at some local bookstores, and it’s also available online (they also have a list of bookstores on this page): https://www.wfop.org/poets-calendar.

August 11, 2023
Reading with Rescue Kittens! 6/18/23, 1-2pm

This is a thing they do periodically, with local authors and either kittens or puppies, to help them socialize – how could I say no? As you can see, one lil’ guy was a big fan of my poetry (or just my shoulder). Description from WordHaven BookHouse, our local bookstore:

“WordHaven is partnering with Sheboygan County Humane Society to share some quality time with humans, adoptable pets, and books!

A representative from the Humane Society will be here with applications if you find a love match with one of the adoptable pets in attendance at this event.

Free Event (Donations for the Humane Society Accepted)

This month, Local Author- Anneliese Finke – will be reading to kitties!”

June 5, 2023

cats, kittens, poem, Poems, poet, poetry, writing
ArtAsPoetryAsArt 2023!

ArtAsPoetryAsArt is back again for 2023! If you missed it before, it’s a project that pairs up poets and artists (mainly through the Lakeshore Artists Guilds in Manitowoc); you submit an artwork or a poem, then you are paired up and create a second one based on your pairing. This time, the exhibit will be at the Rahr-West Art Museum in Manitowoc from June 13-June 18! And if you can’t make it or those dates have passed, the poems and artworks for 2023 are also available to view online here.

June 1, 2023
what is
```
what is the purpose of the sun
or of death? that black bird, why
is it an omen of ill things

and not simply two sharp eyes, scanning
the grass below, looking
for some delicious meal

to drive its sharp beak into?
```
April 29, 2023

I don’t have much to say about this one except that I really appreciate the way the Wisconsin Fellowship of Poets allows us time to think about these things. I have been to some of their conferences, and the next one is in Sheboygan, which is very exciting (as a local) to me. This poem is one that I wrote at the 2023 conference in Oshkosh.
April 29, 2023

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Woodland Pattern Poetry Marathon 2023 – Posted Online

“Woodland Pattern’s most highly anticipated annual event, the Poetry Marathon is a two-day, 24-hour lyrical extravaganza with performances from more than 300 individual poets, musicians, and moving image artists from Milwaukee and around the globe.”

Now that the livestream of the Poetry Marathon is over, Woodland Pattern has posted the streams for Saturday and Sunday to YouTube, so you can check them out there! It was a real honor to be able to participate as well as to hear some amazing poets during the streams.

And if you want to jump straight to the Wisconsin Fellowship of Poets block from Saturday, which is where my reading appears, I’ve embedded that below:

February 27, 2023
Save Me
```
Save Me

On that treacherous rocky path,
	one side a sheer cliff
		falling to beautiful deep water—

The truth is, I don’t want
	to save myself. I want you
		to reach out and grab me

when I lean out too far,
	mesmerized by that endless blue—
		when the pebbles start to slip—

I don’t want to step back.
	I want your arms around my waist,
		pulling me away, down to the ground—

the solid ground meeting us,
	our solid bodies bruised and safe,
		you an anchor

against the endless
	blue
		of the sky
```
February 18, 2023

This one is only a few months old, but I feel like putting something recent out there today. I do write love poems sometimes – this is something I would put under that umbrella. It was actually inspired by walking in Door County in Peninsula State Park (as someone who likes to get away into nature with few people around, highly recommended). And as usual, it’s not anything related to reality (I didn’t fall, or even almost fall, and need someone to grab me); instead, it’s something that I thought about later when I looked back on our hike together.
February 18, 2023

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