Carry my Heart to Some Shore by Audre Lorde (or to Audre)

Audre Lorde, the odd lord, wanting her heart to be carried away, far
away, where she is no longer called odd – Audie, her nickname, a
constant reminder of her nature, the outsider.

Quiet outsider wanting her heart to land in a safe place – are there
safe places for the odd? The Lord also would be considered odd, had
She landed here on earth, today – She, an odd slip of the tongue.

And Audre was an odd slip of a woman, waiting to slip out of her life,
her day to day life and live through her heart on a far away shore.
But not to travel; to be carried – warm, strong arms implied.  Who is
to carry the heart of the odd Lord.  Who has the strength to reach
this shore?  (The shore to shore her up)  To scaffold her with love,
to hold her, who can, through love, lift her high beyond her world,
beyond the everyday expectations to conform and to fit in.  The love…

And who is the one who carries her?  Is it her Lord, wrapping her in
Bible verses and guilt?  I think not.  Nor is it her parents who both
named her Odd and felt her oddness.

Is it a lover; another being who sees her soul?

More likely it is herself, for it is only from the inside that our
hearts are transported; only from dreaming from the inside out that we
can find the safe place to land, on the soft sands of the distant
shore.

So, Audre Lorde – did you find your way?  Did you travel the path deep
into your soul and release your heart to the shore of love and
acceptance of self?

Dear Audre, I pray the Lord your soul to keep.  Sleep, dear friend,
sleep and dream.


— Tiffany Wind 4/18/18