Wild Nights Are My Glory
I know you should be in the middle of celebrating “Banned Books Week” but I felt the need to interrupt. Last month the world became a little less warm when author Madeleine L’Engle passed away. Despite her age, which was 88, L’Engle’s passing hit me fairly hard. It took a while to decide what if anything to say about it. A recent batch of storms helped me figure out what to say.
“Wild nights are my glory.”
Even though I read those words way back in fourth grade, even now, as I gaze out of our window and see a storm blowing in I say to myself, “Wild nights are my glory.” Those words were said by Mrs. Whatsit in Madeleine L’Engle’s book “A Wrinkle in Time.”
I had not been much of a reader. Then, in fourth grade our teacher, whose name I can no longer recall, forced us to read “A Wrinkle in Time.” When I say forced, I mean forced. We would sit in class and take turns reading it aloud. You could not escape it. I wish I could remember his name, because he changed my life forever.
“A Wrinkle in Time” slowly crept into my subconscious. I couldn’t stop thinking about it. Meg, the awkward idiot/genius with a fierce heart. Charles Wallace, the young boy who represents the next step in human evolution. The twins, so remarkably normal. Mrs. Murray, the beautiful scientist with the violet eyes. Calvin O’Keefe, the sport. Mrs. Who, Mrs. Whatsit, and Mrs. Which, forces of nature, forever giants in my mind. It, the giant pulsating brain of my childhood nightmares. And the tesseract. Always the ant on the edge of a skirt.
The fourth grade will always be a significant grade. Every child I have ever shopped for has received the book “A Wrinkle in Time” as a gift the year they are in the fourth grade. No matter how old I get, I will never forget that in the fourth grade I read “A Wrinkle in Time”.
September 6, 2007 Madeleine L’Engle passed away at the age of 88. I doubt she’ll ever know how much she changed my life, but I’m sure she knows how many lives she touched.
It’s starting to rain now. I can hear the thunder.
“Wild nights are my glory.”
“Wild nights are my glory.”
Even though I read those words way back in fourth grade, even now, as I gaze out of our window and see a storm blowing in I say to myself, “Wild nights are my glory.” Those words were said by Mrs. Whatsit in Madeleine L’Engle’s book “A Wrinkle in Time.”
I had not been much of a reader. Then, in fourth grade our teacher, whose name I can no longer recall, forced us to read “A Wrinkle in Time.” When I say forced, I mean forced. We would sit in class and take turns reading it aloud. You could not escape it. I wish I could remember his name, because he changed my life forever.
“A Wrinkle in Time” slowly crept into my subconscious. I couldn’t stop thinking about it. Meg, the awkward idiot/genius with a fierce heart. Charles Wallace, the young boy who represents the next step in human evolution. The twins, so remarkably normal. Mrs. Murray, the beautiful scientist with the violet eyes. Calvin O’Keefe, the sport. Mrs. Who, Mrs. Whatsit, and Mrs. Which, forces of nature, forever giants in my mind. It, the giant pulsating brain of my childhood nightmares. And the tesseract. Always the ant on the edge of a skirt.
The fourth grade will always be a significant grade. Every child I have ever shopped for has received the book “A Wrinkle in Time” as a gift the year they are in the fourth grade. No matter how old I get, I will never forget that in the fourth grade I read “A Wrinkle in Time”.
September 6, 2007 Madeleine L’Engle passed away at the age of 88. I doubt she’ll ever know how much she changed my life, but I’m sure she knows how many lives she touched.
It’s starting to rain now. I can hear the thunder.
“Wild nights are my glory.”
Comments
That was very beautifully written. I'm going to go reread A Wrinkle in Time soon, just because.
For me that book was Where the Red Fern Grows, every Third Grader I shop for gets it.
Thank you for the great memories you've dredged up.
Posted by: Greg B | October 10, 2007 09:52 AM