80. How I Discovered Poetry (Marilyn Nelson)
En el día de la poesía.
Hoy es el día de la poesía y el comienzo de la Primavera. Para celebrar, este maravilloso poema de Marilyn Nelson.
Ya tengo fecha para la defensa de la tesis, por cierto: el viernes 25 de abril. Se ruega una oración.
HOW I DISCOVERED POETRY
Marilyn Nelson
It was like soul-kissing, the way the words
filled my mouth as Mrs. Purdy read from her desk.
All the other kids zoned an hour ahead to 3:15,
but Mrs. Purdy and I wandered lonely as clouds borne
by a breeze off Mount Parnassus. She must have seen
the darkest eyes in the room brim: The next day
she gave me a poem she’d chosen especially for me
to read to the all except for me white class.
She smiled when she told me to read it, smiled harder,
said oh yes I could. She smiled harder and harder
until I stood and opened my mouth to banjo playing
darkies, pickaninnies, disses and dats. When I finished
my classmates stared at the floor. We walked silent
to the buses, awed by the power of words.