Barry Siegel is somewhat famous around the North Shore for his romantic poetry, including the poem he wrote for his wife and read at their surprise wedding. But few people know that Siegel also uses his writing to give back.
Siegel, an Evanston resident in his 60s who has published two books of poetry, recently started teaching writing workshops for adults with developmental disabilities at several sites, including the Center for Independent Futures in Evanston. The idea is that these individuals will be empowered by the act of writing and self-expression.
And it seems to be working. After one workshop, staff members told Siegel that he had gotten through to one older man in a wheelchair in a way nobody else could.
“In those two hours, he communicated more—verbally and written—than he had in the 3 or 4 years they’d been working with him,” Siegel recalls.
“We are getting through to people with every kind of disability,” says Siegel, who coached for the Special Olympics for 15 years. He first became involved with disability awareness and advocacy after he went through a year of debilitating clinical depression.
Siegel hopes that his students will find the same sanctuary that he’s found in poetry. “As a poet, I am blessed to have the written word as a sanctuary and fertile playground to explore, challenge, explain, relate and emote,” he writes.
He also hopes that the writing will reveal the commonality of human experience and bring people together.
“We’re all the same,” he says. “We all have abilities and disabilities.”
As for his own love poems, they’re meant as celebrations. For those who are looking for love, Siegel hopes the poems will remind them to keep their hearts open.
In celebration of Valentine’s Day, here’s the poem Siegel wrote for his wife, Sheila, and read at their surprise wedding:
November Sun
One look, the first look.
The look, the next look.
Again and again, over and over.
My sanctuary, my romance.
My friend, my fun … My November Sun.
Eight years of smiles, hugs and tears.
Eight years of dance, laughs and fears.
You make me think, make me listen, make me wonder,
make me risk, make me better.
You keep me warm, keep me aware, keep me close,
keep me still, keep me well.
You give me calm under pressure, hope over despair,
peace through forgiveness, love beyond compare.
Now, I’m giving you these:
A ring, a promise, a rhyme.
My hand, my shield, my time.
With all of you, our family and friends.
With those gone, but still here,
their blessings and spirits always near.
With our respect and trust.
With our heads clear and our hearts full.
With our words and deeds.
With our passion and creeds.
This is finally for real, not just a tease …
Marry me now. Marry me please.
My true love, my forever lady, my Rock ‘n’ Roll angel.
My only one … My November Sun.
Excerpted from “Yellow Sun, Blue Moon” by Barry Siegel (Vintage Images, 2008).
