As I finish out the work week, I find myself reflecting on all the experiences that have come my way this week. One quote that stood out as inspiration for me came from one of my she-roes, Alice Walker. I was reading a 2006 Ms. magazine which featured an excerpt from her book We Are the Ones We Have Been Waiting For: Inner Light in a Time of Darkness. The line that stuck with me came from her story about giving a series of lectures in Korea. She was not prepared to do these lectures, but found a way to speak from her heart. Here, in her reaction to the audience of her last talk, I found my inspiration:
I looked out into a sea of alert, curious, interested, and I think on some level surprised faces. Who was this little brown woman, her graying hair tinted the color of autumn straw, with nothing in her hands?
This quote hits me on so many different levels. As an African American teacher living abroad, I live this scene almost everday. But, what struck me the most was the idea of nothing in her hands. Here is my response:
With nothing in her hands
she was able to gather the air
to wrap it around her fingers
to thread it through her hair
With nothing in her hands
she was able to receive
the errant tear
the resounding laugh
the pearl of wisdom
the breath of God
With nothing in her hands
she made two fists
and cried for honor
She placed her palms together
and cried for peace
She spread her fingers wide to the sky
and cried for joy
With nothing in her hands
She became
and that is all
and that is enough
What has inspired you this week?
"Women are supposed to be very calm generally: but women feel just as men feel; they need exercise for their faculties, and a field for their efforts as much as their brothers do; they suffer from too rigid a restraint, too absolute a stagnation, precisely as men would suffer; and it is narrow-minded in their more privileged fellow-creatures to say that they ought to confine themselves to making puddings and knitting stockings, to playing on the piano and embroidering bags. It is thoughtless to condemn them, or laugh at them, if they seek to do more or learn more than custom has pronounced necessary for their sex."
ReplyDeleteFrom chapter 12 of Jane Eyre
I think I need to pick this book up again! Thanks for sharing this Ben.
ReplyDeleteIt's a beautiful book. I absolutely love the Brontë sisters. Their work is still applicable, even after all these years. I have it on PDF, if you'd like me to email it to you. It's also on the Gutenberg project.
ReplyDeleteI love the Gutenberg project! I will look for it there. Thanks for the tip.
ReplyDelete