It is often said that great art is created during troubled times, so it should come as no surprise that Barnard — well known for its alumnae writers — has seen this trend continue as the “twin pandemics” of COVID-19 and a renewed focus on racial injustice and violence sweep the world. In this new limited series, Barnard community members share poems and songs that speak to this unique moment in time. (If you would like to contribute, please email newsteam@barnard.edu.)
Today, Asha Futterman ’21 reads her poem “this is a creation myth.”
this is a creation myth that starts with three women
in a carriage riding along the lakefront.
the women
like their reflections and being stared at.
they create anyone who will say hello. the women
sit and wait for things
to sprout out of the ground. if something beautiful
pops up, they cheer happily and sing all the way home.
do you remember
what happened this morning? no, i don’t. me neither.
then we will do it again!
the women
lazily fill their bed sheets. i feel most myself
with clothes on.
i like them off.
i will make something to burn this darkness.
the black rises and the women fill what’s underneath with blue.
today we will make the most glorious
of divers. the most skillful of graspers!
will there be tomorrow? yes.
we have to greet all the new bones
*Originally published in The Pinch, Copyright 2016 by Asha Futterman.