5 Questions with Rachel Richardson

Rachel Richardson is a jazz singer, folk singer, pop singer and all around Singer. She can expertly deconstruct a Swiss Cake Roll or Nutty Bar. She's the founder and director of Arts Corner Toledo, a community arts outreach that organizes mural projects in and around Lucas County. Rachel's also a real advocate for Toledo, where many of us are trying to do better, and succeeding, a little bit everyday. 

Do you remember the first poem you read?

It was definitely Shel Silverstein.  I'm not sure which poem but I know it was from "Where the Sidewalk Ends". 

Do you have a favorite poet? Someone who's work you turn to often?

Rainier Maria Rilke has written so many pieces that I have found myself attracted to and that I can use to define my sentiments about being a creative person. 

Do you remember the first poem that really got under your skin?

King of the Garden Estate

Why is that poem important, or special to you?

Because it is a part of my personal history and the history of my friends and dearest ones.  

Is poetry a part of your daily life? 

Only in as much as how often I think of my best friend, The Poet.  

The following is the poem 'The King of the Garden', by Rachel's best friend, The Poet, who will go unnamed. The poem was written when the poet was an 18 year old ingrate serving detention for not completing several weeks worth of Math homework. It is difficult for The Poet to share this poem in a public forum. 

The King of the Garden

I want to be King of the Garden Estates.
The Hyacinth House is the county seat there. 
This is where the Hyacinth Girl, my queen, 
wanders the barren corridors aimlessly, 
staring at vacant doorways with no will
to enter them, but conjuring imaginary scenes
she'd see if she had courage to step inside. 

Rose of Sharon can make love freely to Jack in the Pulpit
in the streets of Bethlehem there, 
copulating feverishly, but creating nothing. 

I want to be King of the Garden Estates. 

There Dandy Lion can be my majordomo.
His concerns are few, but immense--
he is responsible for the cultivation of the Everything Flower, 
the key to my power.
Red like the blood, green like the sea, 
for forever it's potent magic would keep me on the throne.

At least that's how it would be, if I were king, 
the King of the Garden Estates. 
And I want to be King of the Garden Estates, 
a victim of love I am, and of vagabond dreams
that trample my mind, a mind emptied 
by a too intense bout with the Everything Flower. 

In the garden, a fair daisy land, 
spriggans and goblins play whimsy games with the dullard, Daffodil.
Poor Daisy fell victim just the other day to the phallic black spear
of the Goblin King Hooray.

But if I was the King of the Garden Estates
I'd feed those spriggans and goblins to the 
Tiger Lilies, ferocious guardians who call no man master, 
and hesitate not at all to bite the hand that feeds them. 

Now, I'd do this because, if I were King of the Garden Estates, 
I'd want to be loved by my subjects.
I'd say to them, "Subjects, every flower must have its last day!"
And they'd all cheer except for pretty Violet, 
I always wink at pretty Violet. 
And they'd be safe, too, everyone from Briar Rose
to Crooked Pine, because my brother, the Emperor of the Garden, 
will be watering us all, and he has hordes of Everything Flowers, 
which makes his strength, his influence, and integrity great.

So. I want to be King of the Garden Estates, 
the Garden is all I have left. 
My mother is gone, and my father is gone, and Daisy, 
she fell victim to the phallic black spear of the Goblin King Hooray. 
And the Everything Flower, the key to my power? 
It's bolted, it's useless, it's powerless. 

My brother, he's a goblin. 
Well he was, until I gave him to the Tiger Lilies.
Now I should be King of the Garden Estates.