The Optimist (Abilene, Tex.), Vol. 89, No. 11, Ed. 1, Friday, September 29, 2000 Page: 3 of 10
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Optimist Friday September 29J 2000 3
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Working-class
Poetry
Story by Barrett Koczkur Photos by Chris Hays Page design by Matt Lowe
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Derek Parsons senior secondary
education major from Tulsa
Okla recalled a scene from his
drive back from Fort Worth earlier this
month
"1 saw a guy going down the highway on
crutcl es carrying a backpack " Parsons said
"I dont know what his story is and I dont
know what happened Butl
sec something like' that and
I can write a poem about
it"
Those who have seen
Parsons driving the green
grounds crew Gator around
campus may not realize that
hes an award winning poet
His poem Dignity which
can be found in the 000
Shlnnery Review earned
him second place at the
Conference on Christianity
and Literature Parsons
work has been published in
the poetry journals Red
Wheel Barrow Qulrh and
Rattle
At least half of Parsons poetry involves
working class people Parsons has a unique
frame of reference from which he views their
hes-from within
When Parsons married his wife Jennifer
six and a half years ago he entered a low-
income situation that has opened his eyes to
the struggles of the working class man
Parsons came here to earn a degree so he will
be able to get a teaching job that would bet-
ter support his family
The 27-yearold currently works turf
management for the ACU Physical Resources
Team while he finishes his last year at ACU
He has two children son Tyler 6 and
daughter Caley 3
A typical day for Parsons starts at 5 30
a m when he gets up to do his homework
before the kids are awake Tyler and Caley
crawl out of bed about 7 and Parsons and
the kids go to their respective schools for
class by 8 After class hes off to work
Parsons' unusual worldview sprouts from
a history of work beginning with landscap
mg at age 16 When he was 21 Parsons
became a vocational coordinator for adults
with developmental disabilities In May
1996 Parsons and his wife moved to
Abilene where he provided aftercare for kids
in the Head Start Program for three years
Parsons said the stereotype that poor peo
pie are abusing the system is not a fair
description of those he has known over the
years
"A lot of people arc honest hardworking
people" he said "ltsjust that they ve kind of
had a hard life It's been rough and I consid-
er myself to be a good hard-working guy
These people in the lower class just don't
have a voice in poetry"
Poetry has been part of Parsons' life since
he was 16 but he didn't understand contem-
porary poetry until recently
"When I first started writing poetry 1
had this vision of Frost and Tennyson -very
hfgh type of approach" he said "That
is not the type of poetry of today It is grit-
ty It is accessible "
In May 1999 Parsons made strides when
he took the poetry workshop taught by Al
Haley assistant professor of English and
writer in residence
Haley said he remembers Parsons coming
into the class aware that his writing style
needed to change
"His assessment of his own poetry was
that he liked it but didnt
know what he was doing
and needed to start over
again" Haley said
Spelling and grammar
errors in Parsons' early
classwork kept Haley from
recognizing his talent
immediately
"Sometimes when you
see someone who makes a
lot of basic mechanical
errors you think that they re
not very reflective" Haley
said "But the opposite was
true of this guy
"He really pays attention
to which word he uses and
where he places it - which
is what poetry is all about It's a real precision
kind of communication and hes good at it "
Haley said the heart of Parsons poems is
the authenticity his life expenence brings
"Hes got a job thats not glamorous He
sometimes thinks that this is the bottom of
the ladder" Haley said "I find it interesting
'that someone in that position - rather than
lamenting or being bitter - writes poetry
"What I see is a real Christian worldview
in his poetry" Haley said "Christ spent his
time on people that everybody else would
walk right past Derek like Christ has
spent time with these people he sees what
hurts them and he doesnt judge them "
Haley said Parsons style of Christian writ-
ing reaches t different audience than simple
poems about God
"Sometimes it doesnt have to preach in
that particular message It needs to show you
a compassionate view of life and thats the
door that opens it to Christ "
Parsons will be 28 when he graduates in
May He plans to teach English or history in
a town with a university so his wife can
attend college
"If you take my
story another
year 1 11 be out of
it 111 be teach
ing 111 be back
up to the middle
class " Parsons
said
Some of the
people hes writ-
ten about wont
be so fortunate
in escaping their
low income situ-
ations he said
"From my
experience" he
said "1 ve seen
some things that
just make me
think differently"
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The Optimist (Abilene, Tex.), Vol. 89, No. 11, Ed. 1, Friday, September 29, 2000, newspaper, September 29, 2000; Abilene, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101672/m1/3/: accessed April 28, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Abilene Christian University Library.