Thursday, March 22, 2012

Lovers and Ducks.

Today, welcome to Spring.
Lovers are saying:
"Let's stroll in the sunshine
And bask in the Sun,
bright like our love,
warm like our hands,
intertwined.

Children are saying:
"Look!
It's a duck!"
And mothers are saying:
"Yes, This one is called a mallard."
The mallard is swimming
and quacking with joy
his mate,
she is preening
shaking her head
and pinching her feathers
in her long, yellow beak.

This morning she said
to her mallard:
"Let's swim in the sunshine
and bask in the sun,
bright like our love,
warm like our feathers,
when we sit side by side!"
Thus lovers and ducks,
Strolling and swimming,
Welcome Spring.
-hb

Monday, March 19, 2012

For Your Enjoyment: A Postmodern Love Poem

I.
Ich.
Itch.
Immix.
I lick.
I like.
I love.
Above.
A dove.
In love.
It's luck.
Good Luck.
You muck.
My truck.
A rut.
King Tut.

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

My Favorite Books


I made a list of my favorite books. Of course, the scriptures are the most precious books to me, especially The Book of Mormon, so in this list I only included "secular" books. These novels may not have changed my life as The Book of Mormon has, but they have made it more beautiful.
  1. Till We Have Faces by C. S. Lewis
    • I first saw this book in a Deseret Book (a publication company) catalog when I was about 12. My sister Stephanie and I went to an art fair at Penn State with our art teacher that summer, and we stopped at a Barnes and Noble bookstore, where I calculated that as long as I did not buy lunch, I could buy the book. I remember Stephanie asking my multiple times if I were hungry, and I was, but I said no, because I needed every precious penny to buy that book, and it was not at the library.
    • A re-telling of the myth of Psyche and Cupid from the perspective of Psyche's sister, this book has been different every time I have read it. As I grow up, I feel like the book grows up with me. When I first read it, I thought it was about fitting in, and finding one's self. Now that I'm older and have re-read it, I think that it is about accepting who one really is, and loving that person, despite inevitable flaws. I am certain that when I am older, I will find new meaning in the pages of this, my favorite book.
  2. The Rising of the Lark by Ann Moray
    • My sister Stephanie first read this book. It was in our high school library. I once asked her if she recommended any books, and she told me to read this one, so I did, and I loved it.
    • Without departing from reality, Ms. Moray was able to create a feel of magic in this story about a young girl coming of age on the brink of the first world war in Wales.
  3. Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
    • Most movies made of books are "not as good as the book," but Ella is a special case: if only they had stuck to the book, it would have been infinitely better. I think it was a budget issue.
    • A re-telling of the story of Cinderella, I was deeply pleased by the added depth of Cinderella's character.This is a book I love for its magic and heart. So lovely.
  4. Little Sister by Kara Dalkey
    • I found this book in the library in high school, and loved it. I've read it multiple times.
    • A beautifully written story engaging with Japanese mythology, this novel is about a young girl who faces the supernatural because of her love for her older sister, trapped in a trance after the  tragic death of her husband.
  5. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
    • I read this book for AP English in high school. I found myself drawn to the emotion, the imagery, and (I now realize), the Gothic Romance of this novel.
    • Jane Eyre, a plain and poor orphan, finally finds love as well as her place in the world despite supernaturally great odds.
  6. Lirael by Garth Nix
    • The 2nd book of a trilogy, I found myself deeply connected to the titular character when I read this two summers ago, and ergo, it is on this list.
    • Lirael wants nothing but what everyone around her already has, and waits patiently for the gift of foresight that all her family enjoys. As her birthdays pass her by, she despairs of ever being able to not only fit in, but also be seen as an adult in her community. She is graciously allowed to begin a vocation as a librarian, and finds in the library things that no one knew existed, including a book with her name on it.
  7. Beauty by Robin McKinley
    • This retelling of the classic tale of Beauty and the Beast is also one that I associate with Stephanie. The first time I read it was a copy she owned, and it had an enchanting picture on the front of a young woman smelling a rose.
    • Robin McKinley's strong female lead has more personality than all the Disney princesses combined. She also happens to experience personal growth, which is something that no Disney princess has ever done (that I can think of: Sleeping Beauty? No. Cinderella? Not at all. Snow White? Nope. Bell? Hardly. Ariel? Quite the opposite. Rapunzel? Ha! Don't make me laugh!).
  8. The Giver by Lois Lowrey
    • This is one of two books from this list that I was assigned to read for a class, and it was in middle school.
    • This distopian novel engaged me in a way I had never been engaged before with a novel. It probably was because I had such excellent teachers.
  9. The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackman
    • I read this novel for my senior capstone course in English, with Dr. Perry. It was the American Gothic Novel. I loved that class. I love that professor. I love Gothic literature.
    • Is Hill House Haunted, or is Eleanor as unstable as all that? Is it possible. . . is it both?
It's interesting to me to see that most of my "favorite" books are (1) modern and (2) books that I have read multiple times (and probably the only books I have read more than once).

Saturday, March 10, 2012

Flowers From My Valentine

 Jordan buys me flowers. This is a practice which I fully support.
 For Valentine's day/our anniversary (1 year?!), he bought me the most beautiful bouquet.
 . . . Then he left for Virginia.
 I was so sad, thinking about these flowers dying, until I realized that I can take pictures of them ,and then they will last FOREVER!
 So I did. And these are they.
 There were 3 beautiful lillies in the flower arrangement, though only one was open when I got them. So, I watched the 2nd and 3rd slowly open, then turn from pink to purple. It was really quite magical!
 Are they not lovely?
 There were gerber daisies, too. And this red one below, and ferns, and baby's breath.
Ah, love.

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

I = - (Dorothy)

If you could go anywhere in the world, where would it be?
Why would you go there? Is it always summer? Or beautiful? Are there things you can only do there, like skiing, or surfing, or looking at the original Mona Lisa?
If I could go anywhere in the world, I would go somewhere over the rainbow, where I can see my family members, and do art, and write things that interest many people.
I would have purpose, and also be at peace.
I would be able to value the beauty around me, whether it was summer, or winter.
The most important thing is that I would not be alone.