[Poetry Friday] Helen’s and Henry’s Poems

Fats here.

It’s been a while since I joined the poetry-loving community so I’m glad to be able to share a few verses with you today. Yay! Poetry Friday round-up is hosted this week by Robyn Campbell.

The first set of verses actually came from a book I finished reading last month as part of my reading goal for Book Riot’s 2015 Read Harder Challenge. One of the categories included in the challenge was a book written by someone before the age of 25. Helen Oyeyemi was 19 years old when she wrote her debut novel, The Icarus Girl. The story revolves around Jessamy “Jess” Harrison, the eight-year-old child of an English father and a Nigerian mother. Unable to adjust properly in school, Jess goes on a trip to Nigeria with her parents to meet her mother’s side of the family. In Nigeria, she befriends a ragged little girl who calls herself “Tilly Tilly.” The two girls become inseparable until disturbing things start to happen. I decided to read this book because it was inspired by Nigerian mythology. The narrative tone reminded me of Neil Gaiman’s The Ocean at the End of the Lane, only darker, creepier, and more… well, disturbing.

The following lines were taken from the book, giving you an idea of what Jess was dealing with in the story. Photo and design by Tove Jessica Frank (“Burlesque Twins”). Text added by me, via Fotor editing. Click the image to enlarge the text.

This other poem I’m sharing is called “There Was a Little Girl” and was written by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. It’s a perfect companion to the excerpt above, methinks. Oil on canvas painting by artist, Ania Tomicka (“Far from home”). Text added by me, via Fotor editing. Click the image to enlarge the text.