Ten years ago, Regina Brault of Burlington was walking her usual laps in an area mall, when she got an idea for a poem. Usually mall-walkers move in one direction, but suddenly a young man appeared striding the "wrong" way. Brault turned this experience into "Birds of Passage," a poem about geese flying in formation and the temporary excitement caused when a lone goose turned and flew against the crowd (see below article). Her poem won the grand prize in the Artist Embassy International 1997 Dancing Poetry contest. It was set to music, choreographed, costumed, and danced for the public on stage at Lincoln University in San Francisco for the 1997 Dancing Poetry Festival.

The stage production of her poem made Brault think about mixing art genres – poetry combined with painting, photography, or dance.  In September, she arranged for the first of a series of "Imagery" art shows at Burlington's Heineberg Senior Center. Every other month, a poet is paired with a painter or a photographer in displays of their work. The opening for the next show, featuring photographer Dick Manchester of Colchester and poet Inga Potter of Waitsfield will be held at the senior center on November 2 at 7:00 pm. Refreshments will be served.

Dick Manchester dates his love of the camera to a photo school he attended in 1948 at Lowry Air Force Base in Colorado. Through forty years working as an engineer at General Electric and now in retirement, he has kept his camera at his side. He photographed weddings for a while, and he took pictures of machinery at GE, filling in sometimes for the professional photographers there. But his current interest is wildlife photography. He has caught humming birds, bumblebees, turkey buzzards, raccoons, deer, skunks, porcupines, foxes, and a goldfinch fighting his reflection in a truck mirror. He attracts the animals by spreading day-old bread on his deck and keeping heated water in a bird feeder. Concentrating on clear, sharp images, he has figured out how to capture elusive creatures with mirrors, varied shutter speeds, and patience.

Inga Potter wrote her first poem more than sixty years ago. Now 80, a published poet and editor of the Poetry Society of Vermont's magazine, "The Mountain Troubadour," she says, "I can't not write poems. They just bubble forth."

Potter writes short poems, sonnets, and humorous poems. She likes to "play with" historical forms like terza rima and the villanelle. To those interested in writing, she advises: "Read a lot of poetry, until you feel like you can sing along with the poets. Then put your inmost thoughts down, and put the paper away for a while. Take it out later and see if there are any good lines you can build on."

"Imagery" was born when Brault's ideas about combining art forms reached Gail Moreau, Heineberg Senior Center director. Moreau, who has worked in programming for seniors for over twenty years, wants to respond to seniors' interest in activities involving self-expression. "When we have an art class here, people who had never held a paintbrush produce marvelous stuff," she says. "They had never given themselves time to do this kind of thing before. Our art and poetry clubs are very popular."  Moreau had also been thinking about turning the top floor of the center's building into an art gallery.

"Writing and painting are solitary pursuits," says Brault. "It's important to have a place to show your work, see the work of others, and meet other artists

In the first "Imagery" show in September, the presenting artists were Don and Victoria Herzberg of Sharon, Vermont. Don is a poet, and Victoria paints illustrations for his poems. Their work has been published in "Mirror of Seasons." Working with the Poetry Society of Vermont and the Essex Art League, Brault has arranged for "Imagery" presentations at the Heineberg Senior Center through May. She has contacted Burlington High School and the Vermont department of Education to get local teen poets and artists involved with the program. "Art is for people of all ages," she says.

"Imagery" opening night, featuring Don Manchester, photographer and Inga Potter, poet. November 2, 7:00 pm, Heineberg Senior Center, North Avenue, Burlington. Free admission. Refreshments served.

Barbara Leitenberg writes on senior issues for the Champlain Valley Agency on Aging. This article originally appeared in the Burlington Free Press.