What’s Normal, Anyway?
written by: Jen Schneider
Mrs. Gump
may have asked the question in a rhetorical fashion,
with an intention to divert the conversation
and Forrest’s variety box of chocolates
might have been sufficient to quell
many an onlooker’s curious suppositions,
but Robie Harris,
who not only welcomed but encouraged
extended conversation on normalcy’s many dimensions
wouldn’t have it any other way.
Harris’s books,
including “It’s Perfectly Normal,”
invited, stirred
inspired,
even – oh my!
conspired
and desired
frank discussion
and extended waltzes
(tangled limbs and all that jazz)
on awkward and often taboo topics.
topics like
anger hate
hot takes
and changing bodies
His! Mine! Tbeirs!
Harris never tired.
Nor did she retire forbidden words.
Instead, she tangoed with terms like puberty,
sexual intercourse, and homosexuality
(repetition a regular accompaniment)
at a time when her intended
and ultimately devoted audience
regularly consumed only sugar coated
versions of frosted flakes
and pre-baked conversations
of artificially flavored
lucky charms.
I think Forrest Gump
would approve of Harris’s frank qualities,
her books a sweet variation
on the typical diet
of toddlers to teens.
Harris also believed
in the importance of honest and frank answers
to important questions
of birds and bees.
She didn’t have much patience
for birds of the same feather
than tended to flock together.
She developed an allergy
to passive spelling bees but welcomed
tenacious words with sting.
ABC. HIV. STD.
Acronyms need hugs!
Her pen
an ultimate sword
of flexibility
with which to play
in safe wards words.
Each letter duly documented.
Each story one of many open doors.
She’d toss naysayers aside
and instead focused on readers worldwide.
Translated into twenty-seven languages,
It’s Perfectly Normal
and others in the Harris library
normalized what was previously unspoken —
penis as common as pencil
period more than a punctuation mark
anatomy no longer a mysterious puzzle
Forrest Gump understood better than anyone —
Life is like a box of chocolates,
you never know what you’re going to get.
and normal,
both noun and adjective,
comes in as many varieties
as chocolates in a heart-shaped box.
Toilet no less inappropriate
than words like eggs and sperm
Ha!
Threats of corrupted minds
mere imaginary play —
the child’s inherent curiosity,
a deluge
of queries, sweet and delightful.
a world of fairytales
and fundamental desires to understand.
With standard curriculum carefully diluted,
Harris took care to avoid all that was convoluted
and made sure that the library floor was decorated
of more than identical carpet squares.
tonight,
as the sky overhead glistens,
I wish upon a Milky Way
and choose a star-shaped chocolate
from an oversized variety box
in honor of Robie Harris
and Forrest Gump,
both unassuming heros
rooting for the children in, and of, all of us.
Thank you, Robie Harris
for helping so many see the joy of the forest and the trees.
- What’s Normal, Anyway? - September 16, 2024
- The Button - June 12, 2024
- Where Modesty Meets Destiny - March 21, 2024
