Audrey
Tiny Lights, Poem 14
“You marched down hallways making them shake before I knew a woman could…”
The inspiration for this poem…
Writing/Meditation Prompts:
Do you remember a teacher or person who mentored you, even from afar? What did they teach you? How do you honor them in your life?
Take a minute to breathe in that person’s energy and life force. Let it fill up your lungs and your cells. Give them a nod.
Write about that person. Give them a report card or coach’s pep talk. Use the letters of their name to write an acrostic poem with a word for every letter of their name.
If that person is still alive please consider sharing your words with them! I wish I still could.
Audrey Cutts was my 6th grade teacher. She loudly and silently changed my life. Loud was how she moved in the world while I was trying my best to remain silent. Never before had I seen a woman command her way across the floor. She was a female force of nature and I was in awe of her presence, not to mention every word she unapologetically uttered.
Thanks to Mrs. Cutts I began to see that I, too, could not just take up space, but live a life of my own creation, and maybe, just maybe, it could be filled with words! I will always remember what she stirred up inside: the idea of living large, not small; of taking up space in the world; of being incredibly strong, but at the same time, kind and compassionate; and the list goes on. I found out recently that she died in 2009, but her enormous spirit lives on in this poem, and in my heart! Thank you Audrey!!
