Poetry Contest 1st Place Winner
To Be
(a prose poem)
To be a woman is to be heavy: to know the elements,
one by one, to return to the earth which first gave
life, to feel its weight, and to come forth again.
A maiden is a naiad: light as air in elusive flame.
Her heart is bound to nothing and flies free. But
Daphne does not run fast enough. And her flight only
draws her pursuer. Her prayers to the river god are
vain. Apollo warms wood into flesh. Bark becomes skin.
Empty cells, her support, grow soft, tremble, and are
infused with life.
All matter attracts, but gravity has a greater claim
on mothers. I bind with the earth. I eat earth, wrap
myself in it. Minerals are drawn to me; nutrients are
concentrated; my core is life.
My head moves within me. My fingers explore. My toes
press my ribs as my knees seek an exit that isn’t
there. And I am not myself. One mind, two bodies
inhabit the same space. My density increases, and I
stay closer to the ground, wishing for support yet
unable to tie my own shoes.
I swell as mountains break free from their burning
liquid state. As the center grows hotter, the edges
cool, and lapping energy turns to mud, then stone. I
move slowly, for my crust has formed and is brittle.
Does each cell grunt and yell in effort as it becomes
a house divided, the tiny, wordless cries for release
unheard by me, their universe?
Alone in a room full of people; I am lifted, cut free,
and given to myself.
Noelle received her MFA in creative writing (focusing on fiction) and a Ph.D. in cross-cultural education (focusing on the pedagogical implications of Captain Underpants) from the University of Alaska-Fairbanks. Since then she has moved to Wyoming where she teaches fourth grade. Her oldest son is in her class and her youngest is just down the hall. Noelle’s husband, Stephen, also works for the school district and likes to pop in to help with projects from time to time. Noelle’s been published in The Icebox and The Black Ridge Review.
