For the month of August I’ll be participating in The Sealey Challenge and attempting to read a book of poetry every day (or at least a poem or two), and every day I’ll be sharing a poem with you. If poetry isn’t your thing, a month isn’t too long a time, I promise. But, if it is something you enjoy, I hope this series affords you an opportunity to discover some new favourites or revisit some old ones.
Today’s offering is ‘it was a dream’ by Lucille Clifton (1936-2010) taken from her collection, ‘The Book of Light’ (Copper Canyon Press, 1993).
it was a dream in which my greater self rose up before me accusing me of my life with her extra finger whirling in a gyre of rage at what my days had come to. what, i pleaded with her, could i do, oh what could i have done? and she twisted her wild hair and sparked her wide eyes and screamed as long as i could hear her This. This. This.
I love this idea of a ‘greater self’ because it speaks to the fact that it is so often our own fears and self-limiting beliefs that immobilise us and prevent us from doing the things we want to do, or the things we know we should do, and prevent us from daring to even imagine a different existence when we are dissatisfied or uneasy with our present one.
‘This. This. This.’ will look different for all of us but surely the voices of our greater selves- the ones that speak of potential and possibility- are worth listening to?
See you on day ten,
Tasnim
What a lovely photo!
Yes, I know well this woman with the wild hair.
Wahoooooo yes yes yes