Thought in Cerulean: A Poetry Collection from the San Marcos River

Date

2021-05

Authors

Gummer, Madisen

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Abstract

“Thought in Cerulean” is a creative body which surveys the effect of place, specifically the San Marcos river, on my writing process. While poems of place is its own genre, I sought out to explore specifically themes of eco-feminism and the relationship between humanity and the natural world. I wrote all of the poems in this collection in three separate areas along the San Marcos River, and my expectations were not only met, but exceeded. Although the effect of humanity on nature is pessimistically inescapable, we can approach that dynamic with an open perspective, allowing us to find beauty we can learn from. The natural world is resilient and provides a guide for humans to follow. Within the paralleled negative experiences of womanhood (from the patriarchy) and the natural world (from colonization), both subjects transcend limitations when looked through a poetic lens in context with one another. The San Marcos River is noted as one of the longest constantly inhabited places in North America, and the Indigenous people of this area source it as the birthplace of humanity. The many perspectives of this area provide a landscape in which all types of people can exist. Similarly, the flowing motion of the river allows its visitors to let go of any constraints society has placed upon them. The timing of my thesis, during the middle of a pandemic, has also changed my perspective of and access to the river, which provided meditations on the location of the river itself within the town of San Marcos. I encourage readers to read this collection at the river, and explore how place can influence their reading experience.

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Keywords

poetry, river, place poetry, Honors College

Citation

Gummer, M. (2021). Thought in cerulean: A poetry collection from the San Marcos River (Unpublished thesis). Texas State University, San Marcos, Texas.

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