In 1997 I was living in the historic Hyde Park area of Tampa, Florida, that borders Hillsborough Bay. One day, while walking down Bayshore Boulevard, I came upon a sight I’ll never forget. (photo). The old Swann House, as it was called it, was gone.
Evidently, while I’d been at work that day, a demolition crew did their job and erased the mansion—built by a city father—from the corner lot where it had stood for years. Only the lovely statue pictured here remained. She survived.
I ran back to my apartment, grabbed my camera, and returned to the site. The Swann statue, alone amidst the ruins, mirrored a part of me.
Inspiration for Undertow
Images often trigger the writing of poems. At the time of the demolition, I was writing a lot of poetry. The Tampa Writers Alliance, in their journal, Wordsmith, published a few poems I wrote during my Tampa years. Check out the Essays & Poetry page on this website to see them.
The image of what I call The Swann Statue surrounded by rubble prompted me to weep that day when I saw it. Weep with recognition. I felt like she looked. I’d survived, too. I’d survived seventeen years in a fundamentalist cult, and I had been fortunate to create a new life post-cult. I was on the mend.
I wrote and I wrote and many years later there was Undertow
My journals from those days are private places that contain some seeds that grew into my upcoming memoir.
The house of memories rose from the ruins and became a new home called, Undertow.
This October, Undertow will have its very own page on this website.
There will be a Special Offer about buying Undertow!
You can leave a comment on this post or send me a message on the Contact page.
Ciao for now,
Your writer on the wing!
Larry Sutton
Always happy to see you doing what you do so well, making paper beautiful with the ink that you apply. Love to you and Hoyt, Larry.
Linda Goddard
I am grateful for your sharing, Charlene! Your genuine honesty is so empowering!