Ashley Williams

Oct. 24, 2015

 

Click, click, ding, return. 

 

The sound of a typewriter – a sound not often heard in this electronic world. But on a recent chilly evening in downtown Muncie, people stopped and watched. They were curious about what poet Mike Brockley was doing as he struck the keys and the carriage of the Smith Corona moved from right to left.  

 

Typewriting is something Brockley, 66, has loved to do all his life.  But on this night, he was combining his love of typing with his love of poetry, creating custom poems for those who stopped by his table at the Yard Sale for Art.

 

Brockley wrote his first poem at age 6, and his interest continued to grow. As a teen he was inspired by music’s British invasion – the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. Years later, while a student at Ball State University, he and friend Jeff Pearson were part of a poetry group called 401, named for the room in Bracken Library where the poets met.  Over the years, members came and went, but it eventually evolved into Poems While You Wait with the goal of writing poetry on the spot for people who stopped by.

 

The process starts when Brockley asks a few questions – the buyers’ names and what they would like the poem to be about. He said it can be a challenge to write a poem in 15 minutes or less, but he enjoys it.

 

“I like writing something out of someone else’s experiences,” Brockley said.  “I want them to enjoy the poem; I want them to like the poem.”

Brockley and Pearson weren’t the only ones selling their wares at this year’s fall YART, held in connection with ArtsWalk. There were dozens of tables filled with many types of original paintings, sculptures, knitted scarves, ceramics and jewelry.

 

YART organizers said their goal was to showcase local talent and it’s something they’ve taken seriously for 10 years.  People from all over the country inquire about how to set up a YART in their cities, said YART director Miss Moth.

 

The next YART is scheduled in the spring for May 5, 2016.

 

When the night closed at the fall event, it was the typewriter’s clicking sound that became a part of the laughter and talk that filled the air.

 

“It’s fun,” Brockley said.

 

To read Mike Brockley’s work, visit the Poet Studio.