In 1861, Emily Dickinson wrote a poem titled, "Hope is the thing with feathers". It's a poem about eternal hope which can be seen in birds. Dickinson focused on feathers which are unique to birds. But when I see birds and the hope they represent, I tend to focus on the wings. For most birds, life is predicated on the need to "fly or die" and their flight is amazing to me.
On a recent trip to a memorial service in Bradenton Florida, we stayed in a hotel across the street from a 120 acre nature preserve. I appreciated the fact that I could see the entire preserve from our 6th floor window. We also had some time to walk the trails and see some bird life up close. But as wonderful as the preserve was, I couldn't help but notice that the preserve is hemmed in by hundreds of square miles of homes, yards, condos, and shopping centers. From this perspective the habitat loss was stunning and the preserve seemed small, yet hopeful.
I created this piece called "Hope is a thing with wings" using black walnut and sheets of pressed mica. I purchased the Belted Kingfisher print from an artist at a street fair in Marquette, Michigan. Like the nature preserve in Florida, the Kingfisher is hemmed in by the geometric shapes of human development. But hope continues to thrive in the Kingfisher.
"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.
- Emily Dickinson
Comments