Around these parts, it's the last week before school starts. The air is mostly brutally humid, with a few breezy days thrown in to remind us that change is coming...
Miriam say that, a lot of the time, behind the feeling “I hate this” are other feelings. Like maybe “I'm afraid of this” is hiding behind “I hate this.” And maybe hiding behind “I'm afraid of this” is “I don't know what's going to happen next” or “I don't know if I can do this.” There are lots of feelings behind feelings. - Rebecca Stead
... and I guess that might have been sort of what was on my mind when I approached this week's ArtSpeak: RED poem, which emerged with themes of hiding and disguise. Thank you so much for reading!
Beware
If you find my eyes
beneath a feathery red brim
I hope you realize
I am not simply a girl;
I am a bird in a girl's disguise.
If you try to hide me
in the cup of your hands,
I'll flap, flash, lift –
FLY!
- Irene Latham
Oh, I love that girl beneath the red feathery brim. She's wild at heart and not to be trifled with.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the quote from Stead's book along with a parallel to Dictionary for a Better World. I think this is the job of poets...to make emotional connections easier for readers and listeners. You are a rock star at this. Happy reading. I read for a prize for the first time last year. And, while I enjoyed it immensely, I don't think I can do it every year.