Pen’s on Fire!

OK.  Why would I want to introduce you to Clifton Perry, a man who has committed a capital offense, and has, for decades been in a California prison? 

Because, there is something about his indominable soul that has overcome the three mental conditions he carries with him, his incarceration, his experience of other prisoners taking their own lives, and a life that is far, far from an easy one and who now has a gift to give to others. 

No.  Not “overcome” because he’s still living with his conditions every day.  He has written a book of poems that come from the heart.  He says, “I decided to embrace my mental illness and do all I could to become aware of how important mental wellness is for me and for others, too….embrace it in a creative direction.”  “I chose the title…Pen’s on Fire: The Multiple Personalities of a Poet, because I thought to myself:  “Cliff, man, your pen is on fire like it has flames shooting off the paper!”.  And so it does. 

When Cliff first started writing serious poetry, guided by friend Stan Morner, Stan urged him to submit poems for contests sponsored by the prestigious Ina Coolbrith Circle (ICC), a group of published poets named after California’s first poet laureate.  ICC had a rule that no one is considered for membership unless they attended meetings in person to read their work. Stan convinced ICC to accept Cliff as a full-fledged member, despite the fact that he obviously couldn’t meet the attendance requirement.  Over the years, Cliff has won several ICC prizes.  Some of his poems appeared in their published anthologies.

Naturally, this gave Cliff more confidence, and eventually led to collecting his poems for a book.  “Each and every prisoner has a story to tell,” he says in his introduction.  “Even the incarcerated suffer as victims of crime”.

Cliff is a friend of my brother Tom who visits him.  Through Tom, I was able to ask a few questions.  Cliff is only allowed one fifteen-minute telephone call a day.  I was honoured that those minutes were used to answer these questions:

            When did you begin writing? 

About 14 years ago.

What encouraged you to do it?   

My ex-wife thought that I should write a book about my life.  My first piece was an essay called “Hero or Villain?”

Who is going to read your poetry? 

I’m hoping everybody!

What are you giving them? 

The Truth! God’s glory!

What does your faith mean to you?  

Everything! My faith means everything to me. Without my faith, I wouldn’t have made it through 30 years in prison.

How does it feel when you are writing? 

Like I’m transcending.

Tom says that Cliff has a keen mind and a rich vocabulary.  Certainly, some of his poetry alludes to Classics I’ve never read. But his ability to put together everyday words I do know into such powerful language leaves me breathless. In his Introduction he identifies the poems that mean a lot to him, and why. 

The last poem in the book is a victorious personal statement:  “Who Am I?  Validation of a Poet”.  Powerful affirmation and clear understanding of who he is.  It ends:  “I’m not the GREAT I AM but I am somebody!  I wonder if I could write a “Who Am I?” about myself that is so forthright and affirming.  

Isn’t it interesting that some of the most powerful words throughout history have come from writers in prison!

Pen’s on Fire, the multiple personalities of a poet.

by Clifton Perry

Christian Faith publishing, 2024.

ISBN 979-89345-242-6 (paperback).  979-8-89345-243-3 (digital).

Cliff also enjoys watching sport, playing chess, listening to music, and cooking.  Fifteen minutes of telephone time wasn’t enough to get the recipe for his favourite dish, “Five-cheese macaroni with Goya Chorizo”.  So, I had to improvise, here in the wilds of rural England, with cheeses and chorizos far from Goya Mexican products, or even a Mexican.    

Five Cheese Macaroni with Chorizo

Homage to Cliff Perry

But not his recipe!

Ingredients.

Chorizo, onions, garlic, breadcrumbs, olive oil, flour, milk, butter, 5 cheeses, sage, smoked paprika, mustard powder or Dijon mustard, salt and pepper, parsley

Action

Bring a big pot filled with “water as salty as the sea” to boil and cook 1 kilo pasta (2.2 lbs.)

Oven on to 350F or 180C, or moderately hot. 

Skin 110 grams (4 ozs) chorizo, or more, and slice or dice. Saute. Remove and save.

In the fat, saute 2 onions, finely chopped until transluscent

Add 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped.

When cooked, return the chorizo, retaining 2 tablespoons to add to a breadcrumb topping. 

White Sauce

25gms (1 oz) butter, 3 – 4 tablespoons flour cooked together. Add

1 litre(34 ozs) of whole milk slowly.  1 tsp dried sage, 1 tsp smoked paprika, 1 tsp mustard powder or a tablespoon of Dijon mustard, and chopped parsley.  Stir until thick.

Build a Casserole.

Drain the pasta when it is cooked.

Butter your casserole dish

Add a layer of cooked pasta on the bottom of the casserole dish.

Sprinkle on your mozzarella. (this makes serving easier, not as cheese-stretchy all over the place.)

Then some sauce.

Then pile on the rest of the pasta, and the rest of the sauce.

Sprinkle on a topping of bread crumbs mixed with olive oil, parsley, and the chopped chorizo.  .

Bake

Apologies to folks who were expecting the Mushroom Soup (Vegan) in this issue.  It will arrive next month.  Contact me if you need it earlier.