our queer elders
margaret wise brown
“and yet nothing that separates us holds us apart.”
—m.w.b. in a letter to m.s., dated 1 february 1950
margaret wise brown and her kerry blue terrier, photograph from james stillman rockefeller, jr.
margaret wise brown (1910-1952) was an eccentric. going by “tim,” a reference to her hair the color of timothy hay, she raised rabbits, and when one died, she skinned it and wore the pelt as a hat. as a teenager and young adult, she was an avid beagler—running with the hounds on the hunt. margaret joined an experimental teaching program in new york city in 1935, where she wrote revolutionary new books for children. these books focused on the “here and now” and were in turns melodic, bizarre, and reverent. margaret met her lover, a woman with the pen name of michael strange (1890-1950), in 1940. the two had a decade-long, whirlwind, hot-and-cold relationship, living in apartments across the hall from each other at 10 gracie square. two years after michael died, margaret died suddenly of a blood clot at age 42. more than 20 of her books have been published posthumously.
about the song
margaret and michael; no photos exist on the internet of the two of them together
like most children, I grew up on runaway bunny and goodnight moon. though it had been years since I’d read them, when I started this song I unearthed my old childhood copies. perhaps the push and pull of the runaway bunny isn’t just about the typical conflict between parent and child, but instead a reflection of the dynamic between margaret wise brown and her lover, michael strange. margaret often referred to michael as “sir bunny;” michael called her “the bun.” michael could be elusive and cruel, but margaret was deeply ensnared.
this song also incorporates lines from white freesias, a collection of poems and letters written largely during margaret’s relationship with michael.
rabbit on the run
I'm in love with the fabulous, the queer, the here and now
but the world is much too rigid, colorless, and loud
so these four walls will be the brightest green
and the geometry between you and me has just begun
a rabbit on the run
wait until the moon is full
let the loudest silence remind us
we're caught in full push and pull
this Strange gravity finds us
a rabbit always runs
except when it's stunned
a rabbit always runs
goodnight moon, goodnight stars, goodnight air
goodnight to the woman who’s kept me ensnared
I'll meet your stare at 10 gracie square in your underwear
and I'm aware that you'll never share your love
a rabbit on the run
wait until the moon is full
let the loudest silence remind us
we're caught in full push and pull
this Strange gravity finds us
a rabbit always runs
except when it's stunned
a rabbit always runs
the thing about rain is it always stops
the thing about the sky is it's always there
the thing about you and me is nothing that separates us
can hold us apart
wait until the moon is full
let the loudest silence remind us
wait until the moon is full
let the loudest silence remind us
I'm in love with the fabulous, the queer, the here and now
but the world is much too rigid, colorless, and loud
I'm in love with the fabulous, the queer, the here and now
but the world is much too rigid, colorless, and loud
k.a.castagno 2022
recommended reading
the radical woman behind “goodnight moon” by anna holmes, published in the new yorker in 2022.
in the great green room by amy gary, published in 2018.
the important thing about margaret wise brown, a beautiful children’s book by mac barnett and sarah jacoby, published in 2019.
the eternal lyric of love and loss: “goodnight moon” author margaret wise brown’s little-known poems for the tragic love of her life by maria popova, published in 2022.