Leederville gardener-poet would have burned his manuscripts if it wasn’t for education colleagues.
By Deb Warrier
Talking to Chris Cypher in the grounds of the Catholic Education Office in Leederville where he is a gardener I find myself in the presence of an ordinary man with an extraordinary gift. Early this year he self-published a book of his poetry, The Gardener’s Prayer – A Journey into the mysteries of the Natural World.
The collection of poems celebrates the beauty of nature whilst never forgetting the Creator. As Mr Cypher puts it, “Nature reflects God’s presence in our lives.”
Born in England in 1944, Chris Cypher moved to America at the end of World War II with his parents. The family spent 18 months there. They then came to Australia where Mr Cypher has lived ever since. Part of Mr Cypher’s secondary education was at the Christian Brothers College where his best subject was English. At the age of 15 he started working. He served in the Citizens Military Forces from 17 to 24 years of age. On completing an apprenticeship in Machine Composing, he worked in the graphic arts and newspaper industry for 28 years.
After that he studied horticulture at a technical college. At the same time he ran his own gardening maintenance company until 1994. For the last 15 years he has been
working at the Catholic Education Office. He has been married to wife Kay for 43 years, has five children and six grandchildren. He is a Special Minister and a Christian Life Group member. “The Gardener’s Prayer” is his first book of poetry.
Mr Cypher freely admits he would have destroyed his poetry if it were not for the encouragement of his peers to publish it, adding that up until publishing his wife was unaware that he even wrote poetry.
The secrecy seems to stem from the poet’s bafflement at his own talent and awe of its source.
“I cannot understand how I write what I write. The words I use I would not normally use,” he said.
Literary experts’ opinions on his poetry are incomprehensible to him. He says neither the form of his poetry nor the topics are deliberately chosen. He has no explanation why the simplest things like a sunrise, a shadow or flower can become spiritually beautiful to him and worthy of free verse.
Sitting in the afternoon sunlight, Mr Cypher mused, “I find it difficult to believe that God would talk to me out in the gardens. That is why it is a form of prayer because I am acknowledging Something greater then I am. It touches my soul.”
A friend’s suggestion that his work is contemplative resonates with him. He is loath to call his work mystical as he believes that is only for saints.
The malaise common to writers, artists and thinkers is not unknown to him either. He admits to bouts of melancholy stemming from physical tiredness or lack of inspiration from his daily activities.
He then alludes to something more. “Sometimes I think that I have lost God. You’re on your own, relying on yourself,” he said.
Mr Cypher described how the bereft feeling left him when the words “poured” down on paper. He recounted the experience of a light beam he saw on the grounds that he captured in one of his poems.
“It was just as if God had sent this message down on the earth. I thought that if this was God talking to me it was very frightening because I didn’t think he could talk to me in the open with such extraordinary beauty,” he said.
“Extraordinary” and “awesome” are two words that pepper Mr Cypher’s conversation. He conceded his writings that encapsulate his childlike wonder of nature and its origin could be the work of the Holy Spirit. However, in the same breath he expressed a fear that others might think he was on an ego trip if he said so.
Those who know him better would disagree.
Fellow member of the Christian Life Group and close friend for forty years Des Hunter said, “Chris is a man with passion and a willingness to reach out to those less fortunate, especially those with disabilities. The gift I believe Chris has as a poet is that of spontaneous and inspired writing.”
When I asked Mr Cypher to identify one of his favourite poems he singles out “Angel in the park.” He remembers the day he wrote it distinctly and thinks it was a supernatural experience. “I could have sworn black and blue there was a presence, an angel in the park with me. It was like a golden shadow following me around and it was potent.” He is aware that people may not believe him but is resolute in his belief.
He has had similar experiences of which he would be skeptical were they not backed by others. “In a lot of instances I would say that there was a presence with me. In fact, I have had people visit these grounds and say, “This is where you wrote this poem.” I’d say, “That’s right.” And they would say, “Well, there is a spirit here.”
A spider’s web running from a huge tree to the ground was the source of his inspiration for “Silver Light.” The words hark back to his wonder at the greatness of God as the poet writes:
What imagination to join this world
By shimmering thread to the heavens
Reaching trees giving praise to your awesome creativeness.
Although the main source of his inspiration is the beautiful grounds of the Catholic Education Centre, it does go beyond.
Out in the Pilbara he has been captivated by its red dirt. “It is an insight into something spiritual. It has an intensity that gets to me. Sometimes I am lucky and I can translate it in words,” he said.
One gets the impression that sometimes his gift for words can be a burden. When he first started writing he recalls being “frightened” by the compulsion to write. Even now he expresses the fear that perhaps the poetry is the result of his imagination.
The self doubt is only fleeting but there is a residual feeling of frustration. “Something tells me there is a greater power sending me some message but I don’t know what the message is. I resist it,” he admitted.
People have accused him of being “too intense” and advised him to “calm down.” He acknowledges with a laugh that people might think he was crazy because they don’t understand his writings. Conversely, he has received a lot of positive feedback regarding his poetry. One reader described his work and Mr Cypher himself to be a “revelation.”
One of his fears has been largely conquered, not without effort on his part. He believes that he is on better terms with God whom he ironically saw as a tyrant in his youth. Now he sees the Creator as being “awesomely generous” to him. He alludes to being given a second chance at life possibly referring to the major heart surgery he had to remove six blockages. For Mr Cypher this is confirmation that God is with him.
He makes no claim to being a religious person despite his sensitivity to the mystical side of life. A practical man he concludes the interview in a matter of fact manner. “A lot of dam hard work has gone into understanding what my life is about.
I guess part of the phenomenon of this experience is that it has given me more meaning to life. It makes me see that the struggles of daily life can be overcome by seeing something beautiful,” he said. With that he returns to the gardens for work and contemplation.