"Hope is the thing with feathers" -- Emily Dickinson
Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul,
And sings the tune without the words,
And never stops at all,
And sweetest in the gale is heard;
And sore must be the storm
That could abash the little bird
That kept so many warm.
I've heard it in the chillest land,
And on the strangest sea;
Yet, never, in extremity,
It asked a crumb of me. -- Dickinson
I had heard of this poem of course in my lifetime, but the first time I really connected with it was when my Teaching Assistant SE Riley had it tattooed on her arm. The student schooled the teacher, and I never again forgot this line of poetry.
Fast forward a few years, and feathers became a spiritual totem to me. I grew up with birds. My sister had a bird - Romeo. He was blue. I think a parakeet. He actually made me terrified of birds. He'd get loose in our house, and freaked me out when he’d fly around with that wing span trapped in the four rooms of our human world. Then my Aunt and Cousin who helped raise me also loved birds. They had all kinds. My mom and dad also had a bird - Bubba. Growing up, he was a big part of our lives. But I never cared for birds due to this Romeo. I’ve never been good with those Romeos. ;)
As I started having my own kids, I never wanted them to touch feathers. We live pretty close to the city, so we have pigeons sometimes. Or doves I suppose. But I was afraid feathers from them carried diseases. So, I never let my own children play with them. I did have a nephew who loved feathers also - especially of hawks. My nephew also has passed, so maybe some of these feathers are from him. Ya never know.
But when my father died in 2018, a very strange phenomenon started happening. It seemed that everywhere I went, I saw feathers on the ground. I started researching this, and legend says this is symbolic of your guardian angel around you. So now I love feathers. I pick them up when I can, and I see them everywhere. It makes me believe and know heaven exists and that my dad is with me. My dad loved nature. He was a master gardener from Michigan Satae University and passed on the Fall equinox. I also saw a rainbow six days after his death on his birthday that year. Thanks dad for showing me that heaven is real. I’m forever a believer now.
I shared this story with my tattoo artist friend, Cecilia, and she and I decided to create one for my ankle, so that my dad would be with me always. Cecilia listened and designed exactly what I wanted. She tattooed it on my ankle a week ago. People keep asking me if it was painful. I always look at them and say, "not as painful as three child births." No, it was not too bad at all. My daughter came and held my hand. She is so sweet.
Cecilia got into tattooing to help women. She does cosmetic tattoos for cancer survivors and other medical patients. She also does tattoos for crazy people like me going through a breakup and a challenging life situation. Her tattoo shop is spotless and clean. She is feminine and respects you. She is medically certified, so you are safe. I will never go anywhere else for a tattoo. She is part of the Tend and Flourish Women's Cooperative in Dayton, Ohio, on Brown Street near the University of Dayton.
This experience was cathartic for me. I know some of my friends and family don't understand tattoos, but that's okay. There are parts of their lives I don't understand. It was healing and got the pain out from a hard thing I have been going through. It also reminds me of my dad and eternal life.
Thanks SE Riley and Cecilia Maria Cosmetic Tattoos. Keep healing and helping people like you already do. Thanks for helping me get my wings and fly. Forever a Flyer!
Ce
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