It was a pleasure to burn. - Ray Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451
'Cause Sadie moved like water poured
The shapes she shaped had angels floored
She knew her walk turned wind to fire
A wink from Sadie turned brains to mire" -Tim Seibles, The Ballad of Sadie LaBabe
Monday, December 19, 2005
Battle with the Storm
The rain falls And it hits the ground. She wakes up to the Soothing, familiar sound.
She enjoys the rain. It becomes her friend. It become the routine At each days end.
But it never does Rain for too long. The comfort that existed Quickly turns wrong.
The storm follows Conflict reigns The sky opens up It won't be contained.
Pleasure is not first. Lightening brings a chill. Thunder crashes around The bliss that was falls ill.
The fury causes fear Can't be left alone. She sits buy the window Expelling her heart in the cyclone.
Through the pain She sees a light. Because she loves the rain, It is natural to fight.
She will struggle hard To get what she needs The rain is her passion And she will not concede.
Finally, after a rigorous battle The storm is denied. The pain returns To be by her side.
She is at home now Once again at peace. Drinking the rain The storm has ceased.
The rain is her lover To him, she is bound. She refuses to let this one get away She returns to his familiar sound.
The Sneetches by Dr. Seuss. This is one of my absolute favorite stories. Focusing on prejudice, it demonstrates the silliness of segregating people based on categories (race, religion, gender, etc). The story's strength is that it shows just how arbitrary these categories are.
The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman. In this classic story, a new mother suffering from what we might today call 'post-partum depression,' sinks into a still-deeper depression invisible to her husband, who believes he knows what is best for her. Alone in the yellow-wallpapered nursery of a rented house, she descends into madness.
"Where shall I begin, please your Majesty?" He asked.
"Begin at the beginning," the King said, very gravely, "and go on till you come to the end: then stop."
"But I don't want to go among mad people," Alice remarked.
"Oh, you can't help that," said the Cat: "we're all mad here. I'm mad. You're mad."
"How do you know I'm mad?" said Alice.
"You must be," said the Cat, "or you wouldn't have come here."
(both quotes from Lewis Carroll's "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland," available in full-text here.)