Leave Your Sleep

Several days ago I got an unexpected gift from a very dear cousin of mine. It was Natalie Merchant's latest musical endeavor: Leave Your Sleep, a whole album of poetry she has put to music. The project was inspired by her young daughter and features the work of poets from Gerard Manley Hopkins to Ogden Nash to e.e. cummings to Mother Goose. Needless to say, my girls have become obsessed with it. Everyday after Lili comes home and finishes her homework the dress-up and dancing begin. They have even been dressing up Kateri. (I don't know who came up with the zebra stripes/ Angels jersey combo but Kateri seems to think it works.)

It has been hours of fun already...

Lili takes turns dancing and reading along with the lyrics insert, pausing occasionally to ask me "But what does that MEAN?" whereupon I usually sigh and stutter my way through an explanation, wondering where my powers of analysis have gone. I mean, I got a degree in English, right? I managed to pass Junior Poet and write a Thesis and all of that? Luckily, most of the poems/songs are lighthearted and straightforward and don't involve me talking to Lili about contemplating her own mortality.

Anyway, we have enjoyed this gift so much. I highly recommend the album. It's made me remember how much I love poetry, and made me realize I'm pretty rusty.
I think I'll go dig out one of my old Norton Anthologies... I need to be a little bit more on my game with Lili around.

I had to include these pictures to document Kateri's recent habit of squeezing her eyes shut anytime I ask her to smile for a photo.