“Say Yes” by Andrea Gibson
I chose this poem to kick off 2009 because it conveys the themes of hope and change that I want to manifest in the twelve months ahead.
Andrea Gibson is amazing. Truly amazing. She is one of my most favorite poets (on the stage AND on the page) mostly because the thread that unites her poems is one of hope. Even when she speaks of sorrow and atrocities and pain, I can still hear something hopeful flowing underneath. (For example, she has a poem called “Photograph” that I think is wonderful because, even though she’s speaking to someone who has gone, she still has the spiritual clarity and the heartfelt peace to speak the lines “I hope you’re smiling like God is pulling at the corners of your mouth.”)
When you get a chance, visit her website at www.andreagibson.org. It’s a great, well-designed site that features more of Andrea Gibson’s poetry, as well as tour dates and links to her books and CDs.
I greatly appreciate Andrea Gibson’s kind words and her permission in allowing me to post this video.
