Writer’s Quote: To March

Ah, and just as it came, its departing. Yes, you guessed it right, I am talking about the month of March. The quote above reminds me that as March rolls away, making way for April to waltz right in, so many people would always remember this month as the time when so and so happened. And for others like myself, it would mark the time of transition from one age/stage in life to another. Oh yes, I have officially joined the gang of 21 year olds (I miss saying I’m 20) and now, the only excuse I have left for not getting married is – I am still in university. Only one more year left for that excuse to run out. Oh and the excuse of “I’m not ready yet”, doesn’t work in Northern Nigerian homes. 

Do not mind me, and take everything I said in good humor and with a grain of salt. Below is a poem by Emily Dickinson about March, one I absolutely enjoy reading.

TO MARCH
Dear March, come in !
How glad I am !
I looked for you before.
Put down your hat-
You must have walked-
How out of breath you are !
Dear March, how are you ?
And the rest ?
Did you leave Nature well ?
Oh, March come right upstairs with me,
I have so much to tell !

I got your letter, and the birds’ ;
The maples never knew
That you were coming, -I declare,
How red their faces grew !
But, March, forgive me-
And all those Hills you left for me to Hue –
There was no Purple suitable –
You took it all with you –

Who knocks? That April –
Lock the Door –
I will not be pursued – “,
He stayed away a Year to call
When I am occupied –
But trifles look so trivial
As soon as you have come.

That blame is just as dear as Praise
And Praise as mere as Blame –
    By: Emily Dickinson

Writers Quote: Hope

When I saw this week’s theme, “Hope“, I knew I had to write on one of my favorite poems, “Hope is a thing with feathers-” by the late Emily Dickinson. Here’s the full poem below,

“Hope” is the thing with feathers –
That perches in the soul –
And sings the tune without the words –
And never stops – at all –

And sweetest – in the Gale – is heard –
And sore must be the storm –
That could abash the little Bird
That kept so many warm –

I’ve heard it in the chillest land –
And on the strangest Sea –
Yet – never – in Extremity,
It asked a crumb – of me.

I couldn’t pass up an opportunity to share an Emily Dickinson poem. Many a times, I see and read stories and poems bordering on the statement, all I’m left with is hope. I think, what we sometimes forget is- hope is all we need.

This thing we refer to as “just hope” is what keeps us going every single day. It is the light at the end of a tunnel which enables us to wake up every morning, believing the coming day is going to be better than the previous one. It is the motivation and zeal which gives us the strength to put a smile on our faces after a tear filled night. This little thing, hope, is in fact what separates us from falling in to the abyss of despair, which is a tough well to climb out of.

Hope is not just a word, it is the fading voice in our head reminding us amidst the storms, we’ve got this, the sun will rise at dawn and everything will be alright again.
Hope is much more than a four letter word, it is the thing with feathers which helps us to fly despite the tumultuous wind dragging us down; it is that bridge which help us to trudge out of our miseries one baby step at a time.

Hope is the greatest gift we could ask for because without it, there would be little meaning to life knowing each day is a disaster waiting to strike. Hope truly is a thing with feathers, which gives us the wings to fly.

This post is in response to Writers Quote Wednesday Writing Challenge, hosted by Silver Threading and RonovanWrites

Writer’s Quote: Emily Dickinson

It’s not often we get the pleasure of an Emily Dickinson’s poem without the metaphor or in depth meaning. Just plain ole simplicity with clear cut message. I was glad I came across the above words of hers on Pinterest this week.

We get so busy, writing, reading, working, making a living; we get carried away, trying to smoothen the rough tracks of our lives and all it takes sometimes, Is a smile on the face of one person to remind us to breathe, even if only for a second. All it takes, is a smile on the face of a stranger to get the wires in our brain to pause from it’s activity and let our face muscles relax to return the gesture. We know a kind word can do a lot, but forget that a smile can do a lot too.

Receiving a smile from a loved one makes us feel good, but from a stranger or someone we just met, it gives us something to think about all through the day. And I’m not talking about those creepy stalker smiles we receive, I mean genuine smiles. When we stay too long at the cashier but the next person on the counter just smiles rather get angry, when we act ridiculously clumsy in public and receive a smile from the stranger across- that’s the kind I’m talking about.

I know, it’s that time of the year when the deadlines are looming. We’ve made a resolution to complete our novel and we’re only a few chapters through the first draft, exams are around the corner for some and end of the year activities are driving us nuts, bottom line is- we’re red neck busy. I just want us to remember that it takes little to smile. And when we do receive one, let’s try our best to pass it on, we never know who might need it. I know, a smile wouldn’t help to finish a novel, but it will help you feel better while completing it.

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This post is in response to Writer’s Quote Wednesday. It’s great to be back blogging again and thank you for your wishes. 🙂

Writers quote- Emily Dickinson

It’s writers quote Wednesday again and this time I chose to share a quote from Emily Dickinson. I have a feeling that this isn’t the first time I’ld be submitting an Emily quote, but the wisdom behind her words really, is astonishing, I can’t resist the urge not to share it.

Emily Dickinson was a loner for the majority of her life, rarely seen  in public and hence only fewer than a dozen of her poems ever saw the light of publication during her lifetime. Upon her death, it is said that over 1800 poems were found, written by her. Emily’s poems are known for their brevity, slant rhymes and my favorite, dash-filled lines which still baffles critics as to its significance.

Back to the quote; I had so many quotes to choose from but I was more inclined to the above. I mean, this is Emily Dickinson, one of the greatest writers, saying- if your nerve denies you, defy it and go above it. You know the butterfly feeling in the pit of the stomach just before we write an exam, does it stop us from writing the exam? No. Worst case scenario, we go use the toilet and then get right back to acing the exam. That’s exactly what Emily is saying, kick those nerves to the curb, defy them and go above them.

I’m going to end this with another quote of Emily which simply says- forever is composed of Nows. If not now, then when? It’s time to defy those nerves.

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And that’s my submission for Writer’s Quote Wednesday, (though I know today isn’t Wednesday). Couldn’t make it the last time, and didn’t want to miss submitting twice In a row so …. Thanks for sticking with me. :).          IMAGE CREDIT

D- Dickinson (Emily)

           

                The Soul selects her own Society-
The soul selects,
Her own society;
Then shuts the door,
To her majority;

Unmoved, she notes
All the chariots pausing;
At her low gate,
Barely gives them notice.

Unmoved she finds,
An emperor kneeling
Upon her doormat;
She gives him no notice.

Unmoved, she chose one,
Then closed all valves-
Of her attention,
Turned stone to their cries.

The soul selects,
Her own society;
Chose solitude,
Over majority.

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Napowrimo- Day 5: today’s prompt says Find an Emily Dickinson poem – preferably one you’ve never previously read – and take out all the dashes and line breaks. Make it just one big block of prose. Now, rebreak the lines. Add words where you want. Take out some words. Make your own poem out of it!
I chose to re-write “the soul selects her own society-“, one of her poems I haven’t read before. You can find the original poem HERE

Quote: Everybody is a Somebody

Recently, I found this quote/poem by Emily Dickinson. It resonated with me instantly and has been stuck in my mind ever since. I don’t want to believe it-  that someone can feel so lost as to believe he/she is a nobody. But it’s true, and it happens. Emily was a great poet who lived during the 18th century. This shows and proves rather that depression and feelings of hopelessness didn’t just begin in the 21st century or with the “youth of nowadays” as they say. It is an issue that has been existing long since- for centuries.

  There are a lot of illnesses that originated in the 19th century and cure or at least therapeutic treatments have been found. So, why is this age old disease of the mind still rampant in our society? I mean even small pox which at a time was deadly is now eradicated worldwide. why is this depression gaining more ground rather than losing power? My theory, we have gotten so busy recognizing and diagnosing the signs of physical distress that we may have forgotten about the emotional ones. We can’t expect people to go about with signs on their back with the words “I feel like a nobody” written on them. What we can do is- make people comfortable enough to share those feelings, spread love and smile to dissuade those feelings.

 It doesn’t mean that every one you show an act of love or kindness to would respond in a positive way. The truth is, a lot of people don’t know what “love” is to even respond appropriately- you should’t blame them. A little patience with the love and I tell you that somebody will appreciate it, some day.

This week, how about we try to make a ‘nobody’ feel like a ‘somebody’. You know that student that eats alone, or the co-worker who seems to always be in a shell- smile at them, heck, take it a step further and say hi. If they don’t respond positively, it is okay. Like I said, some people are too broken to know what real love looks like. But odds are, the nobody’s are probably waiting for someone to realize and reassure them of their existence.

smile, spread love and be happy… Everybody is a somebody.

don’t let the voice in your head tell you otherwise. 🙂