The Norman Transcript

Entertainment

January 9, 2009

Shawnee poet Jim Spurr to read at Norman Depot Sunday

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Jim Spurr will be the featured poet at the Performing Arts Studio's Second Sunday Poetry reading 2 p.m. Sunday. This is the Shawnee poet's second appearance in the PAS poetry series. Light refreshments will be served. There is no admission charge.

A nationally published poet, Spurr has done many public readings in Oklahoma. His book "Open Mike/ Thursday Night" was a finalist in the poetry division of Oklahoma Book Awards, 2008.

"Writing poetry is for me, like it is for so many other poets, something I do out of a need to try to say something and hope that somewhere some of it will have some meaning," Spurr says.

Spurr has spent most of his life in Shawnee, graduating from Oklahoma Baptist University and meeting his wife there. He became an insurance adjuster in the '60s and owned and operated his own business. He is now retired, "operating at a much slower pace" he says, "allowing more time for writing poetry."

"Jim has a good sense of humor and a great reading style," says series host Carl Sennhenn.

"His readings are always big audience pleasers." Everyone is invited to attend.

The following poem was first published in California by Poetry Depth Quarterly.



On Being Prey

When the fish gets caught

he fights hard knowing he's done

if the hook is set firm.

But sometimes, like a determined

but undersized fullback,

he breaks through the line

and escapes. A fighter.

If the fisherman falls and drowns

in front of the fish

then the fish has to watch

helpless while the man

flails with one hand

and clings to his rod and reel

with the other.

Both want to live.

One has to fight.

The other has only to let go.



-- Jim Spurr

For further information call the Performing Arts Studio at 307-9320 or visit www.thepas.org.

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