A couple of weeks ago I posted Remember me, a poem by Alice Walker, with some guidance on how to write your own poem. Well, I’m delighted to say that Nicola Burkhill rose to the challenge and has given me permission to publish her poem here.
Remember me?
I am the girl with the splattering of freckles across her nose
and tight curly hair with a frown on her face
I am the girl who cried every Sunday
because I had to go see Daddy
in a freezing cold house
with no coal or telephone
and pretend to like it
To not be scared
Now I am the woman
Who has learned to trust enough
to get married and have two babies
Who has fought for her life more than once
and has battle scars that nobody sees
I am the woman who wants to help the
girl with the freckles, the frown and the curly hair like Annie,
put my arms around her and give her a kiss and tell her everything’s going to be okay
Not to worry
I give the world my love, my blessing
Hold it in my bosom and
tell it everything’s going to be okay
I want it to remember something the Angels told me
That only love is real
I’d like to say a HUGE thanks to Nicola Burkhill. I find her poem very moving, and I’m sure there are lots of women who can relate to it.
But maybe you’re one of those people who still feel very wary of poetry? Too many of us suffered at school, and even at university, when we felt we were stupid because we couldn’t understand a lot of the poetry we were presented with. Well fear not! There’s a lot of wonderful poetry that’s easy to understand, hits home with emotional truth and leaves you feeling enriched. Even better news – we have a wide array of poetry collections at Glasgow Women’s Library you can borrow.
If I had to name a good starting place, I’d suggest twentieth century poets like Maya Angelou or Alice Walker. Accessible, but empowering and moving. Or if you’d like to have a chat with me about your tastes and what you’re looking for, then email me on magi.gibson@womenslibrary.org.uk and we can meet up at the Women’s Library and sort out some ways to refresh your reading choices.
Magi
