Edison said “Invention is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration,” which has been one of my favorite quotations for years because it absolutely puts those talkers into their place.\u00c2\u00a0 Yeah yeah, I’ve heard the talk, but honestly, what have you done lately?<\/p>\n
You could say much the same about me and my writing, both the blog and otherwise, where I have all of these great ideas of things I want to say but just can’t get around to getting it down.\u00c2\u00a0 Writing about Love Your Body Day (on November 1st) was one of them.\u00c2\u00a0 My mind was full with thoughts of the cathartic spilling of the ridiculous things I allow myself to think about my body and ultimately myself.\u00c2\u00a0 I daydreamed about the post, what I’d say, fretting about how personal to make it, wondering how honest I could be.\u00c2\u00a0 I spent so much time mulling it about it in my head that I never did it.\u00c2\u00a0 The whole idea was to strike while the iron was hot and I let it freeze over.\u00c2\u00a0 So I moved on.<\/p>\n
And then, via Kate Harding<\/a>, I read this post about a recent interview<\/a> with Ani DiFranco.\u00c2\u00a0 Ani, of course, being The Voice of My Feminist Generation — 30-something women who, 15 years ago, were listening to Not a Pretty Girl<\/a> while reading deBeauvoir and making signs for the next demonstration.<\/p>\n Okay, I have to be honest here.\u00c2\u00a0 While that may have been going on in some circles, my mainstream appearance was a little much for that crowd and after attending a meeting and being insulted for shaving my legs I didn’t return.\u00c2\u00a0 Incidentally, though, in terms of my feminist studies and activism — I was the one selected to co-teach in women’s studies while still an undergrad; I was the one the Department approached about tutoring members of the football team in women’s studies in the aftermath of Bronzkala and VAWA<\/a>; and I was also the one photographed going head-to-head with the Dean of Student Affairs over the issue of how the school handles sexual assault charges among students.\u00c2\u00a0 So ‘feminist’ appearances don’t mean much.\u00c2\u00a0 Ugh.\u00c2\u00a0 Did I really just write all that?\u00c2\u00a0 My glory days are more like gory days.<\/p>\n Enough.<\/p>\n The point here is that although I look all peaches and cream and home baked pie with my blonde hair and occasionally shaved legs, for years I’ve harbored the secret desire to be Ani DiFranco.\u00c2\u00a0 To Just Be That Cool.\u00c2\u00a0 To have it all out there so plainly.\u00c2\u00a0 I hadn’t thought much about Ani’s music lately, being subjected as I am to constant requests for “Elmo” and “Imagination Movers” (occasionally veering into Young MC, as my kids are HipHop fiends).\u00c2\u00a0 Then I read about her new album and this song.<\/p>\n Everything I wanted to say about Love Your Body day?\u00c2\u00a0 All that stuff I was thinking about?\u00c2\u00a0 It’s right here.<\/p>\n lately i\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve been glaring into mirrors but now here is this tiny baby so i\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m beginning to see some problems there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s nothing wrong with your face lately i\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve been glaring into mirrors
\npicking myself apart
\nyou\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d think at my age i\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d have thought
\nof something better to do
\nthan making insecurity into a full-time job
\nmaking insecurity into art
\nand i fear my life will be over
\nand i will have never lived unfettered
\nalways glaring into mirrors
\nmad i don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t look better<\/p>\n
\nand they say she looks just like me
\nand she is smiling at me
\nwith that present infant glee
\nand yes i will defend
\nto the ends of the earth
\nher perfect right to be<\/p>\n
\nwith the ongoing work of my mind
\nand i\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve got myself a new mantra
\nit says: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t forget to have a good time\u00e2\u20ac\u009d
\ndon\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t let the sellers of stuff power enough
\nto rob you of your grace
\nlove is all over the place<\/p>\n
\nlove is all over the place
\nthere\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s nothing wrong with your face<\/p>\n
\npicking myself apart<\/p>\n