Mountain in Another Life
by Sarah Fertsch
Pebbles don’t render people speechless.
Echoes ripple through canyons
Trees stretch their arms toward the sun
Waves slurp sand with every bite
Ocean, so vast it could never be measured
Yet beach bodies condense with Stubborn efficiency
Galaxies house thousands of stars
The universe won’t stop expanding
So Why Shrink?
Because plane seats choke your hips
And doctors diagnose you as lazy Because shame is the primary theme
Of your every nightmare |Every flirtation
Every takeout order
Every dressing room
Every breathy climb up a staircase
Because survival of fittest really
Means the fittest
The world is allowed to get bigger,
But not you. You must wilt
Like an overgrown
Flower, desperate for water.
God, make me a mountain in my next life
Every inch of me photographed
and explored
And Beloved.
What draws you to writing as an art form? What are your muses?
I found poetry to be a comfort whenever I was feeling strong emotions. I studied communication and philosophy and politics in college, which I think really shows my interests and my influences. I'm fascinated by the concept of justice - exploring what's fair and what is right. I've used poetry to write my own story and explore it through the lens of philosophical concepts like beauty and equality. Life is too often ignored or glossed over, and I think that wrestling with how our experiences matches our values empowers us to live lives we are proud of.
In the end, I'm just a woman who overthinks her life, and seeks to find art in the chaos. I write almost exclusively about semi-autobiographical matters and how I feel about them.
I’ve seen you rock and knock socks off with slam performances. How do you write for story/poetry slams or turn existing work into a piece ready to be performed.
Thank you! Public speaking and storytelling has always been my first love. In fact, I think that my work is the strongest when it's read aloud because I can use tone and expressions to communicate meaning beyond just words. I will usually practice where I want to pause and where I want to speed up in a piece, and consider what kinds of emotions I want to draw from the audience.
It's been nerve-wracking to step into the spotlight because I'm nervous that my story won't resonate, and I've leaned heavily on comedy in the past to justify my space at slams. But I am learning into being more vulnerable and raw, and the audience has responded so warmly to it.
What is your process like? Any rituals you use to tap into the creative flow?
I usually go through seasons where I'm really inspired and write like eight poems a week, or weeks where I can't write anything. I'm a proposal writer in the tech industry by day, so writing out contracts sometimes drains me. One of the main ways I find creativity is by reading other writers' work! I'm obsessed with Mary Oliver and Chen Chen. Sitting outside at the cafe and reading poetry, then writing poetry, - that's how I want to live out the rest of my days.
Also, I listen to good music! I hate to admit it, but Taylor Swift can be quite the wordsmith, and her storytelling inspires me to mess around with the pen. After all, she also writes about her own experiences!
You are the Poet Laureate of Somers Point, NJ. Tell us a little about being the head poet of a cool working-class shore town.
I've lived down the shore my whole life, and there's is something so special about Somers Point. It's locals and their devotion to the marsh and the ocean that inspire me. As a child, I've always fantasized about running away through Kennedy Park into the bay and live in the wetlands amongst the herons and crabs. I'm honored to represent our little town and the creativity that flows from our home by the sea.
These days, you can find me wrangling two dogs down Dog Beach (or Sunset Beach officially), doing yoga at Grace and Glory in Northfield, or grabbing a drink at Josie Kelly's.
Community is so important for any artist. How do you engage with or create community as a writer?
The writing community is so vibrant in South Jersey! I'm really loving the Murphy Writing Center affiliated with Stockton University. They offer great writing classes and retreats for all kinds of writers.
As the Poet Laureate, I have the opportunity to teach a poetry class for 8th graders at Jordan Road School in Somers Point. I've organized the class around preparing for an in-class poetry slam, and we watch Moth stories on YouTube. It's great to empower the students to find their voice. By the end of the semester, they went from whispering to sharing their story without shame!
Where can readers find more of your work? Follow your creative endeavors?
Follow me on Instagram @sarah-a-fertsch! And check me out every first Tuesday at the Moth Slam in Philadelphia!
Bio: Sarah Fertsch is a poet and storyteller from South Jersey. She is the 2024 Poet Laureate of Somers Point (NJ), Moth Story Slam champion, and staff writer with Shore Local Newsmagazine. She's an active member of the Greater Philadelphia arts community and seeks to find creativity in the everyday.
John Wojtowicz grew up working on his family’s azalea and rhododendron nursery in the backwoods of what Ginsberg dubbed “nowhere Zen New Jersey.” Currently, he works as a licensed clinical social worker and adjunct professor. He has been featured on Rowan University’s Writer’s Roundtable on 89.7 WGLS-FM and several of his poems were chosen to be exhibited in Princeton University's 2021 Unique Minds: Creative Voices art show at the Lewis Center for the Arts. He has been nominated 3x for a Pushcart Prize and serves as the Local Lyrics contributor for The Mad Poets Society Blog. His debut chapbook Roadside Oddities: A Poetic Guide to American Oddities was released in early 2022 and can be purchased at www.johnwojtowicz.com. John lives with his wife and two children in Upper Deerfield, NJ.