1) What has your experience as the Bard been like?

I’ve loved being the Bard! It was a blast to meet the other bards last year. They are incredibly talented. My bardship (yes, that is a word I Googled it) has been a great conversation starter for when people ask me to share something about myself. It has been so interesting to me how many people have (sometimes bashfully)  told me that they also write poetry. It’s a topic my now fiance and I bonded over on our first date! 

2) How did you get involved/interested in the Festival?

My great great grandparents immigrated to Malad from Wales so I’ve always felt a connection to Welsh culture. As I’ve delved into family history I’ve tried to learn as much as I can about how my ancestors lived. I really enjoyed all the presentations last year. Traveling to Wales is a bucket list item for me so getting to hear the experiences of Blaine and Tara Scott on their trip was absolutely fascinating! 

I was thrilled to learn about the poetry competition because writing and reading poetry has always been something I’ve enjoyed. I took a poetry writing hiatus after college so this was an exciting way to get back into it. 

3) What are you looking forward to at this year’s festival?

Last year was my first year attending the festival and I was completely blown away by the writing and performing talent of Malad’s students. Their poems were creative, vibrant and an absolute treat to hear performed. I’m really looking forward to seeing what they come up with this year for the “Castles” theme. 

I also really loved getting to try all the Welsh food and I’ll definitely be saving room for shortbread!  

4) What do you feel is the importance of poetry in the world today?  (I’m a writer, so this is a friendly question, lol)

We interact with poetry everyday. It’s what makes the lyrics of your favorite song dance along with the music. It’s the glue that sticks commercial jingles in your brain. It’s a powerful tool that speech writers use to leave a lasting impression on their audience. We process our world by recognizing patterns and deviations. Poetry capitalizes off of the repetition of sounds, words, and ideas. Poetry is important because through poetry we are able to convey ideas descriptively and memorably. 

5) What kind of poetry do you generally like?

I like all sorts of poetry! My all time favorite poet is Emily Dickenson. She was ahead of her time in both her writing style and content. I really love how she uses consonance and assonance in her poems which is what makes them so lyrical. She’s definitely a poet I try to emulate in my own writing . 

6) What are you planning for this summer’s reading at the festival?

I am almost done with my castle themed poem for this year. I’ve really enjoyed doing the background research for it. 

7) What would you like people in Malad to know?

I’d want them to know how awesome the Welsh Festival is! If you haven’t been, it’s a lot of fun. Along with the poetry and great traditional food, there’s great music, kids activities, and gift booths!

Thanks,

Candice Lemmon

STILL THEY FLY

by Candice Lemmon

Some say dragons have ceased to soar,

That they’re caged in the pages

Of legends penned by men

Long dead.

Beasts reduced to ghosts,

Haunting the whispered tales told

By the bedsides of the wide-eyed

From father to son--

Draig to dragon--

Our warrior’s force,

Friends not fiends,

Flaming red,

Swishing through the breeze

Above the fields of sprawling green.

But when the battle ends,

So, too, the whispers cease.

Ferocious forms fade into the gloom;

Raging roars retreat to restless echoes;

Wide eyes close

That’s when some suppose

These mighty monsters leave the sky,

Banished back through the cracks

The stories split in time.

That’s what some believe,

But I say,

Still they fly

When the light dies,

They stalk the starry hunting grounds on high--

Shimmering scales,

Flashing fangs,

Darting, dancing into dawn.

It’s then their sharpened claws

Slash back the blackened skies,

Their fiery breath

Igniting the horizon line,

And in the day

These gentle giants guard our land.

Looming over lakes,

Pressed into the earth by fearsome footfalls;

Burly bodies border specked fields

Flecked with mounds of gold;

Thorny wing tips forming jagged peaks;

Flaring nostrils puffing clouds of smoke.

Some say dragons are smoke themselves--

Distant wisps of times gone by,

Lost to legend,

Wing beats silenced.

But I say,

Still they fly!