The Arts: Susie Sims Irvin - A Rare Treasure Story by Debbie Sims Nestled on a hidden cul-de-sac adjacent to O’More College of Design in downtown Franklin is a modest brick home. Compared to the neighboring classic homes of the Franklin historic district, the structure is simple in design, moderate in size and comparatively shy in demeanor. Just as outward appearances often belie the content and character inside a person, this non-descript structure conceals a rare treasure. Inside beats the heart of poet, painter and composer, Susie Sims Irvin. Susie might defy your notion of what a poet, painter or composer looks like. Pleasantly smiling, she walks slowly and deliberately to greet visitors, not allowing the slight tremor in her hands and voice to slow her passion, her graciousness or her creativity. Well into her retirement years, and with grandchildren in their twenties, she is the antithesis of the quiet retiree. In fact, her recent years have been the most creative and artistically fruitful of her life. A painter and poet all her life, Susie was encouraged in 2001 to bring the two elements together in a book. Serendipitously, there seemed to be a painting that evoked the imagery of each poem. Thus, the anthology called Clouds for the Table was born. Published by Providence House Publishers of Franklin, the book became a local favorite and quickly sold out of its first printing. The art of her poetry For those who might think that poetry just flows from those gifted with the ability to write verse, Susie states unequivocally that poetry does not come easily for her. “It is hard work,” she says. The first poem she remembers reading in public was one she composed upon the death of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. “As a student at Hillsboro High School, I had marvelous English teachers and worked on the school literary magazine,” she recalls. “When FDR died, I wrote a tribute poem and read it at a flagpole assembly. That was my poetic debut.” Several years later, as a young wife and mother of four children, she found that poetry provided an unencumbered way to express herself. “I wanted to make things concise and to the point,” she says. “And with four little ones underfoot, I did not have much time to write.” The round dining table of her lovely, sunny home is where she writes now, using a ballpoint pen and yellow legal pads. Laboriously, she writes and writes and writes until the exact words come. She picks out phrases and puts them together, often finding that one word or thought can take her in an unexpected direction. Occasionally, when she is trying to solidify a poem, a completely different idea will just pop into her head, “demanding,” she says “to be written. If it is in you, you have to express it.” Though she does not think about readers’ reactions when she is writing, she enjoys observing them. During a recent radio reading of her poem His Hands, written about her late husband Shearer Irvin, the businessmen in attendance were silenced in awe as she began to speak. “Across the scrubbed maple/of our table/I have watched/his hands grow old/ Seen the years back up /behind the joints/turn smooth knuckle/to ridge of bone/protrusions/one by one.” When she finished reading, Susie looked up to find that all 12 men were wiping their eyes, obviously moved to tears by her poignant words on love and aging. She smiled and said, “It may not be my best poem, but he was my best subject.”  Susie works hard at improving her skills, attending the prestigious Sewanee Writers’ Workshop at the University of the South. Selected for attendance based on her poetry submissions, she spends a hectic two weeks each summer in seminars with renowned writers like poet laureate Robert Hass. Though she jokingly refers to herself as the “grandmother” of the Sewanee group, her reputation has led many to seek out her work, commissioning special pieces for events and celebrations. Her relationship with Franklin First United Methodist Church recently led her to add composer to her list of talents. Commissioned by the church to write an anthem for All Saints Day, Susie collaborated with composer Deen Ensminger of Belmont University. As a tribute to her late husband Shearer, Susie wrote the words to “All Heaven Will Hear” a published choral piece recently performed by the choir of the church. The poetry of her art Across from the dining table where she writes, is the studio room where Susie paints. A large easel holds a landscape in oil, recognizable as the cover art piece for her book, Clouds for the Table. The country road, rolling hills and muted pink sunset evoke memories of her beloved Williamson County. Nearby, leaned against the display cabinet in her studio is a vibrant, thickly layered oil painting of flowers, in a style that is something of a departure for Susie. Inspiration for the new painting came at the Stonington, Maine Painter’s Workshop she has attended for several consecutive years. Limited to a few select students, this prestigious annual workshop challenges her with daily painting assignments and critiques. “John Imber, the workshop founder and leader, just said, ‘Go out into the flower garden and don’t come back until you have used up all your leftover paint,’ so that’s what I did!” she says. Her influences To understand fully the motivation behind the poetry and art of Susie Sims Irvin, one must only turn to the great influences and events of her life. Susie’s father Cecil Sims was a 1914 graduate of Vanderbilt School of Law and founding member of the Nashville firm of Bass, Berry and Sims. With great pride and affection for her father and his accomplishments, Susie credits Cecil as having the deepest influence on her life by teaching her to value the worth of every individual. In 1937, Cecil and two of his law partners purchased some farm land in Williamson County during a foreclosure on the courthouse steps. Located on Hillsboro Road, about five miles north of downtown Franklin, the trek from Nashville to “the farm” took all day when Susie was a girl. Enamored by the country life, Cecil Sims took his family there for most of the summer, and he commuted to his law practice on the Interurban rail system that ran from Franklin to Nashville. Susie’s poetry is peppered with images of the Williamson County landscape, Harpeth River, and bygone days of downtown Franklin and its many colorful characters. “I fondly remember the excitement of going ‘downtown’ and the adventure of a day on Main Street in those days.” When her father died, Susie and her growing family moved to the farm permanently, expanding the cabin into a spacious two-story log home. In the early 1990s, the farm property caught the eye of Williamson County developers. Susie, recognizing that she was ready to give up the difficult job of managing the farm, sold the acreage. The Cecil Sims farm became part of what comprises the Fieldstone Farms community of today. His family’s legacy lives on in the Fieldstone Farms clubhouse, where original logs from the cabin can be seen incorporated into the architecture. Two rooms in the clubhouse are also named after the family, as is a nearby street. The future Today you will find Susie Sims Irvin busy with numerous projects. In addition to painting and writing, she participates in a local monthly poetry group at Landmark Booksellers, sharing her latest poems and encouraging other local poets. Her book Clouds for the Table is now in its second printing. She is also working on a children’s book called Too Tall Alice, based on the true-life trials and tribulations of her daughter Alice, who found herself to be “too tall” in the third grade. Poet, painter, and composer Susie Sims Irvin is a true Williamson County gem. Clouds for the Table is available at Landmark Booksellers in Franklin, www.providencehouse.com or other online booksellers.