YOUR NAME

Years ago I attended a women's conference where key-note speaker Chieko Okazaki was encouraging women to see themselves in a different light. "Write down your name, spelling it backwards." Mine became L-Y-R-E-H-C. Suddenly I wasn't plain old Cheryl anymore, but artsy and poetic LYRIC. I have used it ever since for my email and blogspot name, adding 'al' to the end.

'Lyrical' is full of emotion and symbolism, whether it is dance, art, drama or poetry. I found this photo by Henk Koopman, to go with the lyric poem I wrote one June day when my own gray heart was softened through tears, like the storm's rain softened the hard, dry earth.

        Gray Heart

My Gray Heart,
Like Gemini's roiling storms:
Sullen, angry.
Lightning cracking,
Thunder breaking,
Gray heart ova falling,
Weeping its relief by
Unknown source.
Sinking now to soften
Hardened course.