Poet on the Mound
Ernest W. I stuttered when I was growing up and that was practically the only way I could communicate. I would write my thoughts and my feelings about what people were doing to me, what they were saying about me, how they were teasing me and I would write about it but I would put it in the form of a poem.
Jay M. I was interested in business so I interviewed Mr. Ernest Westfield, former Negro League Baseball player and Champaign businessman. During the interview I found out he also writes poetry.
EW. I write about what’s in the air, or what’s going on at the time. You know like for example, we’re having trouble with our kids, so I’m writing poems about our kids, you know. I wrote one about Haiti. I write about whatever’s in the news what’s in the air.
EW. So I try to make my poems to where kids in the first grade, second grade can read my poems. Because I have a lot of sight words in there like I, we, and little simple words that they can catch on to. So I have a lot of kids to read my poems in the schools system.
EW. Well whatever is in the air. But mostly all my poems has the word God in it. And uh, that’s a thing that’s pushing me now, because when I was growing up, my mother used to kinda force my brother and I to go to church. But I would always fall asleep, I couldn’t keep my eyes open. I’d get to sleep, the service would be over with. And so the poems that I wrote with the word God in it, with the name God in it, uh, I took them to my mother, I said “Mother, I must have been listening. I must have been listening.” Because a lot of the verses are from the bible that’s in my poems.
EW. Favorite form, I’m writing them right now to where it can turn into a poster. Ok, and those things that represent history. Like the one I write about baseball, it’s called, A Tribute to the Negro League Players. That one has been turned into a poster. There’s one I’m doing about bullying. That’s going to be turned into a poster as well.
EW. The biggest thing right now is bullying. People are being bullied, so people are writing little poems about bullies. You know, what I’m doing is taking my writing skills and using them to make posters. And it says, “Be careful who you bully, and be careful who you tease, because the person that you bully could one day turn out to be the person that you need.
EW. I want kids to look at me and say, “Maybe I can do that.” You know, because a lot of kids, particularly black kids, are ashamed to stand up in public to read their poems. And I say, If you write it, then you can read it.” You know, and that’s what a lot of kids are doing.
EW. Well one of the first poems I wrote was about my mother. And uh, she loved it. She started crying when she read it. And uh um, she really had a lot to do with that.
EW. I give an example of that, I tell them that mothers are special, no matter what you do your mother will come and get you. The father might not come, ok but the mother had to drag him along, you know, but the mother, I don’t care where you, they’ll say they’re finished with you, not going to do anything for you anymore, but let you get in trouble and they’ll be right there with you.
EW. But they said if you write poems, if God gives you a gift, it will open doors for you. And you’ll be able to make a living off of the gift that you have.
EW. In addition, I want you to give this to your mom. And here’s what you do, you put a little note on it and say “Mom, I read this poem and I immediately thought about you.” Your mother will cry. She’ll come up and hug you, then she’ll get on the phone and call her friends, “Marie let me read what my son just gave me.”
JM. She does that all the time.
EW. Does she do it?
JM. Um huh.
JM. When I first met Ernest Westfield, I didn’t know he was a poet. I chose to interview him because he was involved with Civil Rights, a Negro League Baseball player and a local businessman. The first time I interviewed him, he only talked a little about his poetry. I was curious about why he wrote poetry, so I interviewed him a second time. He gave me a poem for my mother and I’ll read the end. Thanks for being the best mom all these years and when I think about all you have done it’s hard for me to wipe away the tears.