If You Have Something to Say, Margaret

by Marge Barrett, Marge Rogers Barrett

If You Have Something to Say, Margaret reaches out with the heartfelt message: “we will help each other love.” These lyrical and prose poems reflect the cultural changes of Barrett’s lifetime, from ’50s bomb shelters, Russia and the Cold War to the current Museum of Broken Relationships in Croatia. Settings range from the poet’s birthplace in a small southwestern Minnesota town, to her current homes on the banks of the St. Croix and Mississippi Rivers, to exotic destinations like the Choruh River in Turkey. The heart of her poetry holds her large family and many friends, students from years of teaching, even a few beloved dogs, while considering—sometimes tangentially—life choices, social justice, and how to spend our time on earth. Some poems touch us with tender humor: “Mean Mr. Van Maes, / you shot our mutt dog, but Luck / lived on, three-legged.” In others, her plain language reverberates with poignant humanity: “I stand at his grave. Dad, I’m having trouble saying goodbye.”

116 pages, Paperback

Published July 31, 2020

About the author

Marge Barrett also publishes under Marge Rogers Barrett

Reviews

[Bonnie · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is a profound vulnerability in Marge Barrett’s poetry collection, “If You Have Something to Say, Margaret.” Her bold, open expression of love for family, friends, and her fellowman is exposed and fully genuine. And there is a sincere, affectionate, way she has with us readers, as she guides us along new paths and shows us new ways, while still giving us credit for being smart. We recognize styles and forms of poetry we might have remembered from a writing or literature class in our past, but now see and understand how those forms bolster the poem itself, polishing and perfecting it.
In her poetry, Barrett explores not only her personal joy and pain, but also that of the world, honoring those who are helpless, frustrated, and weak. Her poem “Hold On” moved me to tears. This collection has it all, humor, intensity, sorrow and wisdom. “If You Have something to Say, Margaret” is a book I have opened again and again and with each rereading I have found something stunning. It is a book you will want to share.

[Niomi · Rating 5 out of 5]

The title of Marge Barrett’s “If You Have Something to Say, Margaret” is deeper when you read it as an admonition from her brother Tom. The reader smiles. This is memoir at its best. It’s a generational story – the girl, the bride, the mother, the daughter—childhood, motherhood, siblings, parents—all relationships explored. Barrett’s use of present tense creates an exceptional intimacy between writer and reader. Her family becomes yours; her experiences resonate—the AHA and recognition that the best of poetry and prose give us. You age with her. You share life’s Fears, like the chorus in this story. Her father makes you smile. You grieve her mother’s death. The poems sing with alliteration; the form integral to meaning. This is not a chronological life, but poems are carefully selected and placed which results in layers of meaning and precious images. On facing pages: Margaret’s mother in life; then Margaret, stepping carefully in her sling heels to the front of the church to give the eulogy. She hears her granddaughter “from the heart of the church.” Present, past, future.
This is a book to share and to read and reread.

[Cindy B · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Memorable Collection
This is a beautiful collection of poetry in which Barrett explores nature, emotional experiences, people, places, relationships, and shifting cultural norms from all around the world that she has encountered during her amazing life. Marge’s keen observation of minute details sparks memories of what we have felt, seen & experienced. I found myself wanting more. Her writing style draws you in and makes you reflect on every phrase and you will find yourself recalling them days later. She introduces us to people very much unlike ourselves and also shares new memories of family we’ve met in her previous books. Marge’s openness on opportunities taken and occasionally opportunities missed empower memories of our own experiences and give us space for self-reflection. Her juxtaposition of personal, domestic and international experiences illustrates how differences complement our shared humanity and gives hope for today. My granddaughter loved this book and my spouse with Alzheimer’s consistently chooses this book to read and re-read. I also loved it and I think you will also.

[Arianne Lehn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This beautiful collection is poetry at its finest - a variety of pieces collecting the soul into THIS moment with authenticity and meaning. It's just what we need in our time of feeling scattered, anxious, afraid, and uncertain. Marge Barrett plumbs the depths of both her own life and the life of the world. She opens up the journey she's traveled with such vibrancy, pulling us right into her heart and mind. In her emotions and insights, I found my own. And as she shares what she has to say, she empowers us to name what we need to say too. Her frequent pieces on fear were like a tolling bell throughout the book. As she named the fears she faced, the takeaway toll became an encouraging refrain of courage. We look at what we've lived through and overcome, and find renewed strength for the fears of this day and time. I keep this book of poetry as a companion on my nightstand, and read a piece or two before turning out the light. Thank you, Marge, for this offering! Keep sharing what you have to say.

[Sigrid Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story of a life told in jewel-like moments. These poems feel eager to illuminate and clarify, and Barrett has both a remarkable eye for the sights she sees ("Bony clouds, streaked and pink") and an ear for the speech she hears and imagines. From one of my favorite prose poems, "Hold On: Imagined after seeing an empty time-out room on a tour of the Children's Home":

"...They pull me into this padded room. I start screaming. Screaming. Then they do that goddamn therapeutic hold. Hold me down on the rubber. See, I still got these little circle marks from the floor. Look. Here on my arms and legs. Well, I go nuts. You know. Nuts. I try to kick, bite, claw my way out .... Finally, they let up a little, and I'm feeling a little better, thinking about floating away right out of the Home. Into the cool clouds. I say, I guess I let out a little air. They laugh. I do too."

A beautiful, satisfying book.

[Annie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Marge Barrett’s book, If You Have Something to Say, Margaret is a treasure during this pandemical time. We get a strong sense of Heartland roots and rivers that shaped who she is. We get a vibrant sense of her large, interdependent and very independent family, and her passionate love for each of them. I read the poems several times, smiling or sighing at the color and hues of places and people. In these times when we are not together with our clans and do not travel far from home, her words can inspire us all to write about our places and our people. I highly recommend a read of this book.

Annie Calkins, Juneau, Alaska

[Cheri Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the way Barrett brings together details of an obviously adventurous life spent all over the world, and in many different roles and vocations--including a stint in a convent--into poems that encompass universal themes like hope and fear. Reading them is a deeply satisfying, invigorating experience. She is so honest about her joys and regrets, her anger and her mistakes, that I feel inspired to be honest about mine ... The poems are artful and musical and moving. They often made me cry, and just as often they made me want to run outside and shout with joy and be in the world as much as I possibly could. I love this book!