Please help me welcome guest artist, Kerfe Roig to formidableWoman!

In her poem, Gonna Take a Miracle, Ms. Roig pays tribute to the late Laura Nyro, an artist said to be “one of the most important female singer/songwriters of the 60s and 70s (Rolling Stone Magazine).” It’s Gonna Take a Miracle is also the title of a tribute to the sixties album and its title song released by Nyro in the seventies.  Nyro was the author of such hits as “Wedding Bell Blues” by the Fifth Dimension; “When I Die” (a personal favorite) by Blood, Sweat & Tears;” and “Stoney End” by by Barbara Striesand.  In 2012, Ms. Nyro was inducted into the Rock and Roll hall of fame.

In her poem, Ms. Roig speaks directly to Nyro and to us, women today, telling us to

Go naturally.  Sing the madwoman, the sorceress, the witch of becoming, ….

In the style of Nyro, the poet laments griefs against women, against nature, against social justice wailing…

Time is near. Still living in a paradise of fools. Still living in a valley full of the shadows of fallen angels.
The Devil is still hungry. The Devil is still sweet.

She admonishes us to

Wash the sky, the water, the land, the air. Stand on the brown earth with dreams and a
white dove.

It is as though the poet channels the late song-writer, singing to us through her voice beyond the grave.  It is as though we are marching together, each carrying the torch of fury, claiming the “glory road!”

Read Gonna Take a Miracle (for Laura Nyro)  in its entirety here.

A resident of New York City, Kerfe Roig enjoys transforming words and images into something new. Follow her explorations on the blog she does with her friend Nina here and see more of her work on her website here.

images:  all are used via permission of the artist via creative commons with some rights reserved unless otherwise noted.  1) “witch” by Jose Angel Sanchez  2) “Goethe Girl on Day 12 Occupy Wall Street…” by David Shankbone   3) “the mother earth photo” by Tanveer Iqbal

d. ellis phelps is the author of this blog and of the novel, Making Room for George.