Haiku My Heart: "Abrazo"/ Photo by Michael Ioanidi
Abrazo by Mikhail Ioanidi |
A Cold Rush of Wind
Invites the Warmth of Embrace
My Gift to Myself.
--Noelle Renee
I remember, as a child, spending a lot of time alone. I was shy and took great pleasure in reading and in writing poetry. It was difficult for other children to understand. At the age of ten, I wrote a poem about a brown and white spotted cow named Bessie and submitted it to a section for children's poetry in a local newspaper called The Pasadena Star News. It won first prize of $25.00. It was a huge achievement for a ten-year-old; one can only imagine. Even now I have not forgotten what pride I took in seeing my poem about dear Bessie in the newspaper. When I see the photo of this beautiful child with her arms about herself, with such open joy in her face, I think of the little gifts, like this, that we can offer ourselves: a memory of one great day that somehow encompasses much of who we are and evokes that of which we are truly capable. Billie Holiday (née Eleanora Gough McKay) had a very challenging life, growing up in poverty and struggling with addiction as an adult, yet her phenomenal talent and legendary recordings remind me of the inner strength and profound beauty of the human spirit. I give you Eleanora Gough McKay, the indomitable "Lady Day" singing "Embraceable You." Give yourself a hug.
–Noelle Renee (all rights to Haiku reserved by author).
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