Linda Sillitoe

When I read Linda Sillitoe, I realize, I am not the first one to see the bigotry, the need for control, the fear of true feminine power in the words and actions of the mormon prophets, in the patriarchy, in their sky high and sacred temples where members are taught to whisper and be pure.  Bird shit is white on the outside but in the middle it is greasy and grimy like crude oil, and I believe the winged creatures have perfect aim, like so many leaders at the top, evading responsibility. I am among the few who know what the fall is like from their tower, and also to look up to realize the shattering of my worldview was actually a gift. 

The following poem was Linda Sillitoe's, written to her friend Lavina Fielding Anderson, who was fired from the staff of a famous and widely read church magazine, Ensign.  She had the audacity to provide the manuscript of a talk that had been stricken from that year's general conference, to another publication. If you are unfamiliar with mormon culture, it is important to understand that the dissemination of information must be done through the proper channels, through priesthood authority, not some woman who just wants to write it as it is. I have learned from the experience of feeling exiled, that on the outside, the landscapes become endless, your mind learns to shape shift as it slowly begins to recognize that reality was there all the time, and that no one can ever really silence you, no matter how hard they try.  

One by one
they throw us from the tower. 
And we spread our wings 
and fly.