Love I You?

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Abstract

igital/guides/b/buxbaum_m.htm#:~:text=scrc.syr.edu-,Biographical%20History,American%20poet%2C%20author%20and%20editor.&text=After%20retiring%20Buxbaum%20went%20on,wife%20Alice%20had%20eight%20children.">Martin Buxbaum</a>.Martin Buxbaum, a poet, essayist, and communications executive, was spoken of in hushed tones in our humble, working-class house — especially after he had the brilliance to publish her poem! Mom bought all his books and left them sitting out with little slips of paper stuck inside to mark her favorites. At one time or another, every member of the family read his poetry.<h1 id="5102">A joyful legacy</h1>I discovered a desire to become a writer in my 20s, when I published a few pieces of (bad) poetry in the college literary magazine. The apple didn’t fall far from the tree. (Full disclosure: I volunteered to work on the magazine, which guaranteed my poems would be included.) And I entered a few essay contests, which netted small sums to help cover tuition.Those early successes encouraged me to pursue a writing career.Over the years, I’ve had the good fortune of working at jobs that allowed creativity and individ

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ual expression — in addition to a lot of mind-numbing corporate-speak writing. And now, finally, I’m writing for pleasure and pure love of the craft.Who’s to say what precise combination of ingredients creates a writer? Weighing all the influences in our lives is an imperfect science. Yet I believe my path to becoming a writer was paved, in part, by an earnest poet-mother who:<ul><li>Valued the written word (with weekly trips to the library, checking out the maximum number of books)</li><li>Dared to submit her writing to a publication (and being published)</li><li>Made poetry part of our daily life</li><li>Sprinkled a variety of literature around the house</li><li>Cultivated an environment where creativity was celebrated</li></ul>Growing up in a loving, supportive environment with a mother who was a creative role model was an ideal combination to nurture writing interests. I was lucky.In my quest to become a better writer, I’m not sure my writing will ever surpass the enduring charm of “Love I You?,” the gold standard in our family.But I’ll happily keep working at it.© Tina L. Smith, 2020</article></body>

This little poem kicked off a writing legacy

Mom was the first published poet in our family.

Soon after she and my dad were married, she wrote him this love note. (You can read more about their whirlwind love affair in Driven To Love.)

Love I you? ‘Course I do! Come a little closer, Kiss I you!

Its playful, inverted syntax is a perfect reflection of her joyful nature, and its simplicity makes it memorable and charming. You can imagine this being the refrain in a 1940s Hollywood musical — a genre my mom dearly loved (and loves).

Years later, she submitted this little ditty to Table Talk, a Marriott publication edited by Martin Buxbaum.

Martin Buxbaum, a poet, essayist, and communications executive, was spoken of in hushed tones in our humble, working-class house — especially after he had the brilliance to publish her poem! Mom bought all his books and left them sitting out with little slips of paper stuck inside to mark her favorites. At one time or another, every member of the family read his poetry.

A joyful legacy

I discovered a desire to become a writer in my 20s, when I published a few pieces of (bad) poetry in the college literary magazine. The apple didn’t fall far from the tree. (Full disclosure: I volunteered to work on the magazine, which guaranteed my poems would be included.) And I entered a few essay contests, which netted small sums to help cover tuition.

Those early successes encouraged me to pursue a writing career.

Over the years, I’ve had the good fortune of working at jobs that allowed creativity and individual expression — in addition to a lot of mind-numbing corporate-speak writing. And now, finally, I’m writing for pleasure and pure love of the craft.

Who’s to say what precise combination of ingredients creates a writer? Weighing all the influences in our lives is an imperfect science. Yet I believe my path to becoming a writer was paved, in part, by an earnest poet-mother who:

Valued the written word (with weekly trips to the library, checking out the maximum number of books)

Dared to submit her writing to a publication (and being published)

Made poetry part of our daily life

Sprinkled a variety of literature around the house

Cultivated an environment where creativity was celebrated

Growing up in a loving, supportive environment with a mother who was a creative role model was an ideal combination to nurture writing interests. I was lucky.

In my quest to become a better writer, I’m not sure my writing will ever surpass the enduring charm of “Love I You?,” the gold standard in our family.

But I’ll happily keep working at it.