ARTSPEAK: Happy! poem "Girl in Hat" by Irene Latham

I'm excited to be continuing my ARTSPEAK series -- this year with poems on the theme of "Happy." Read why in my introductory post.

Poems so far:

Girl in a Yellow Dress after "A Girl in a Yellow Dress, 1917" by Amedeo Modigliani

When the Stars Come to Town after "Cafe Terrace at Night" by Vincent van Gogh

On a Golden Day in May after "Checkered House" by Grandma Moses

Beach Time after "Children Playing on the Beach" by Mary Cassatt

The Weight of Happiness after "Flower Seller" by Diego Rivera

By the Sea "Coastal Scene with Gulls" by Maud Lewis

Sister Song after an untitled piece by Henry Darger

Two Cows after "2 Cows" by Maud Lewis

Today's piece is "Girl with a Yellow Hat" by Norman Lewis.

Girl in Hat

You may think I'm hiding behind my hat,

but there's a reason I sit like that.

I like the way the world shrinks,

becomes a just-me space

where you can't see the feelings

as they pass across my face.

So if you see me (hatted) in a crowd,

remember: beneath the brim

I am the sun – still shining! –

and my hat is simply a passing cloud.

- Irene Latham

Be sure to visit Rebecca Herzog for the latest line in our 2019 Progressive Poem!