By Eva Sanborn
When I was twelve, I walked along the sea
As if a mermaid, not a lonely child
The motion of the waves commanded me
The changing of the tides could drive me wild
I dreamed I was a damsel of the deep
Desiring to be lost beneath the blue
My siren call would sing poor souls to sleep
A briney kiss could start my life anew
For water can extinguish any flame
And snuff the light out when it's just begun
If I were gone would mortals mourn my name?
And would I mourn the setting of my sun?
Today, I know my heart belongs on land
I walk along the sea but kiss the sand
The Importance of the Arts and Humanities
I cannot overstate the importance of the arts and humanities. They allow us to understand ourselves, the people around us, and the broader world. They let us find joy in nature and in the small, simple things in life. They let us express ourselves and all of our ugliest and most beautiful emotions. I believe that the arts and humanities are what make life worth living.
Mia Funk's artworks that resonated me the most was The Memory of Water I. This painting inspired my poem because it conjured up memories of my own childhood growing up near the beach in Hampton, New Hampshire. My sonnet explores my childhood relationship with the ocean and the way that I used my imagination to escape my feelings of loneliness. I strove to capture a sense of melancholy in my poem that I felt when I first looked at the Memory of Water painting series. As a young girl, I was always captivated by the vastness and power of water, and I associate water with a deep sense of pain and longing as well as with beauty and grandeur.
