Quotable Tuesday-Sarah Ellis

Posted in A Writing Life, Quotable Tuesday on

–From 19 Varieties of Gazelle
by Naomi Shihab Nye

The Arabs used to say,
When a stranger appears at your door,
feed him for three days
before asking who he is,
where he’s come from,
where he’s headed.
That way, he’ll have strength
enough to answer.
Or, by then you’ll be
such good friends
you don’t care.

Let’s go back to that.
Rice? Pine Nuts?
Here, take the red brocade pillow.
My child will serve water
to your horse.

No, I was not busy when you came!
I was not preparing to be busy.
That’s the armor everyone put on
to pretend they had a purpose
in the world.

I refuse to be claimed.
Your plate is waiting.
We will snip fresh mint
into your tea.

Says Sarah, “Is this about writing?  Well no, it is about connecting by giving away things so that you can truly own them.  Oh.  I guess it is about writing after all.”

I personally recommend all of Sarah’s books. They are a combination of whimsy and heart and a wry look at the world. Sarah has a new book out: That Fatal Night:  The Titanic Diary of Dorothy Wilton.  It is published by Scholastic Canada.  You can read an excerpt here.

4 Responses to “Quotable Tuesday-Sarah Ellis”

  1. Meredith Davis

    I’m such a fan of Sarah Ellis, her wry humor always makes me smile. Connecting, by giving away, so you can truly own them . . . what a deep sentiment buried there. Thanks Lindsey, I’m going to chew on that a while . . .

  3. Mima Tipper

    So glad I scrolled down far enough on the dang FB page and found this link. Thank you, Lindsay, for this post, and thank you, Sarah, for well, being magic:)