The March Hare: Winter '01
Issue 27

Snowshoe Hares * Job Opening * Help Us! * Eco to go * A story of the land * Lightbulb rant * Poetry from the revolution * Bright reflections * Comings and Goings: 2000

Poetry from the revolution

by Laurie Voeltz (illustration by Jacob Stevens)

Laurie Voeltz, also known as Revolution Grrl, was one of our longest resident interns. She helped to create a lively writer's culture here at DR this past fall, from hosting writing workshops to poetry readings. She celebrated her 25th birthday with us in October and wrote this poem in commemoration. We're pleased to share it with you as our first foray into including poetry in the March Hare.

25 years ago today 
11-something a.m. 
in stark, sterile st. mary's hospital room 
i forced myself 
myself forced out 
fleshy fierce, wrinkled screaming 
	blood-covered thing 
embryo-alien turned humyn 

after 9 months of swimming and spinning placental 
	somersaults 
9 months of closed eyes, eating through tube to 
	bellybutton 
after 9 months in liquid darkness i was finally 
	cry-kicking in the flesh 
dangling from gloved doctor hands 
and twitching like a wind-up children's toy 
throwing my one-inch fists and curled tiny toes
not knowing 

not knowing what hit me 
my thin eyelids fluttered open 
and bald soft skull pulsed 

quarter of a century later, my mom and i--
we're still recovering 

quarter of a century later 
and we live 10 hours apart 
i tie my own shoes now 
my hair has grown in on soft skull grown hard 
i hold my own spoon [even cook, grow, 
     harvest my own food] 

i carry myself 
put me to sleep 
tuck in my own covers 
tell me to dream sweet 

i have a job like a real grown-up [when i feel i must] 
i make and hate my own money, 
address and stamp my own bills 
i hold my hands when i travel 

i watch the world at large through my own grown eyes 
see the fairy tale perfection i left, see today's lies--
patriarchy, capitalism, ego-centric consumerism 
and i'm still kicking 
and i'm still screaming 
like that newborn baby grrrl 
    i was 25 years ago taught me to 

quarter of a century later 
and i find i've survived 
[i've kindof survived] 
that first crucial year 
[crawling walking teething talking] 

i find i've survived 
my high skool isolation 
my catholic upbringing 
my parents' over-bearance 

i find i've survived 
bike crash injuries 
broken-heart crash injuries 
life in the 'burbs for 16 years 

i find i've survived 
hunger-strike nights in jail 
[laffing w/ activist comrades later 
     for that, re-telling the stories] 

i find i've survived 
3 car accidents and a few close calls 
24 harsh midwest winters 
and the death of one [and counting] close young friend 

i find i've survived 
all this 
plus more 
by kicking 
and screaming 
every step of the way 
from 25 years ago 
to 25 years today 

amen.