Remember this?

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