introduction

here i am again. another attempt, perhaps in vain, perhaps not, to communicate the many wanderings of my over-crowded mind. i think i even used to have a blog, now lost somewhere in the blogosphere, called 'feathers'. but i like the concept so i'm giving it another go.

'feathers' comes from a poem by emily dickinson. for those unfamiliar with it, i'll quote it here:

"Hope" is the thing with feathers—
That perches in the soul—
And sings the tune without the words—
And never stops—at all—

And sweetest—in the Gale—is heard—
And sore must be the storm—
That could abash the little Bird
That kept so many warm—

I've heard it in the chillest land—
And on the strangest Sea—
Yet never in Extremity-
It asked a crumb—of Me.

the reclusive dickinson likens hope to a bird in the poem which makes me think of freedom, lightness, air, grace, and the ability to surmount anything. i love, in the second stanza, the reference to the 'gale'; hope is sweetest in a storm. the storm could destroy it...or not. the third stanza speaks to me of the omnipresence of this elusive hope. it's everywhere if we just look. and what's more, it asks nothing of us in return for its comfort. so there's the poem and the namesake of this blog.

i'm not sure what form this blog will take. with a 7-month old, i have little time to just write and write like i used to. when i do have the time, i usually read. still, there is a need to express myself. express the goings on in my mind. sometimes i feel a little overwhelmed with all the thoughts, all the interests that i fear i'll never get to develop. books, writing of all forms (fiction, essays, poetry), motherhood, wifehood, friendship, god, teaching. there's a lot. maybe this little blog will be like its name; a medium for hope to launch itself on an easily hopeless world. most of the time it will be just be my thoughts. but you never know where hope--or entertainment or just something interesting--can be found.

read on, if you will. i may, periodically, post some poems and whatnot. we'll see if i have the courage. if i have the feathers.