National Poetry Month 2020 Day 19: “How to Paint a Donkey” & “Start Over”

It always breaks my heart to hear of children being discouraged from their artistic expression by rigid teachers, and it’s all too common. Would-be dancers, writers, visual artists, you name it, told that they aren’t doing it “right,” and possibly forever feeling inferior, not “good enough” to practice an art. To me, that attitude from instructors is wrong! In dance, it is our responsibility to instill healthy practices, but otherwise, I feel it is also our duty to encourage students and build up their self-confidence along with their proficiency. Here’s a story of one person’s triumph over their childhood nay-sayer.How to Paint a Donkey

by Naomi Shihab Nye 

She said the head was too large,

The hooves too small.

I could clean my paintbrush

But I couldn’t get rid of that voice.

While they watched,

I crumpled him,

Let his blue body

Stain my hand.

I cried when he hit the can.

She smiled. I could try again.

Maybe this is what I unfold in the dark,

Deciding, for the rest of my life,

That donkey was just the right size.

Sometimes in life (for me, a few times), we must make a totally new start. Everything we thought we know is called into question, but there’s a constant sense of self that can carry us through. Also relying on the steadfast support of community and many helping tools. This one is from last year’s fresh beginning.

Start Over (Original 2019 HNL)

by Blythe Stephens

Start small

Start over

Yesterday my feet were in clover

Start over

Start small

Being brave, standing tall

Be brave

Be moved

Sharing generously, the truth

Be moved

Be brave

There’s someone here you can save

Save someone

Save yourself

Leave no book on shelf

Save yourself

Save someone

Why walk when you can run?

Run wild

Prance free

Be who you’re meant to be

Prance free

Run wild

With the sweet joy of a child