The poem has a strong visual element, the first page being shaped like a Hollywood Juniper, with short bursts of words that sweep like branches and foliage. It is incredibly rhythmic. Triple, dactylic feet twist into other forms, a few sprung rhythms here and there. It begs to be read–-it even begs to be set to music as words dance across the page, a manifesto of individuation, of becoming. “I am the rules of the house/ bent into shape/ out of shape/ written upon the walls in colors/ you did not intend.” Martha has written for years, but only started publishing recently–the result is a combination of newness and experience that is extremely exciting. The adversity of her outer journey meant she sought refuge in her rich inner world, and readers can share that space through her poetry.
Read “Hollywood Juniper” in Synkroniciti’s “Vulnerable” issue, available here: https://synkroniciti.com/the-magazine/purchase-individual-issues/. You do not want to miss this emerging artist.
Martha Sherick Shen is native to Iowa. Born into an academic family, she was labeled a slow learner years before dyslexia was understood. She did not read until she was 13 years old. Suddenly, reading became her world of wonder and writing became her expression. It was a private blossoming, however, since it did not change the way people saw her. After raising her daughters and divorcing, she earned a degree in Zoology from Iowa State University within a specialized program for Neuroscience and Physiological Psychology. She graduated with honors in 2003. During these years, Martha also met, befriended, and later married the man who would bring her a fairytale life, Sheldon Shen. She has written poetry privately throughout her life. Martha’s first published poem resides with Flying Island Literary Journal; her second is forthcoming in the Silver Birch Press “ALL ABOUT MY MOTHER” Series. Martha currently lives in Des Moines, Iowa with her daughter Abra’s family and her French Bulldog, Judah.