We have enjoyed quarterly creative writing workshops at Singleton Environment Centre led by Sita Turner. There is never enough time to fully complete any of the five or six exercises so I thought I might as well add some scraps here. Obviously incomplete in places and a mixture of prompt and response. Enjoy the ambiguity!
Spring
1 Sow the seeds and pull up the weeds
In every weed, here is wisdom.
In every seed, there is possibility.
In every gardener, there is the power to bloom and the strength to grow.
Weed – out with the old – “stuff”
Possibility: transition from leadership towards more passive involvement.
Mindful of the health decisions of others and the sense of mortality.
Grow connections, re-connecting on an occasional basis and, perhaps, with a little more depth rather than superficial eg through a short social-media post.
2 Nancy’s Minute Poem
Syllable pattern of 8-4-4-4-4
One Minute Walk
Skylarks high in the morning mists,
dry path insists.
Winter wheat grows.
Which way, who knows?
Sun breaks through at last,
the pace not fast.
Walking in line,
now feeling fine.
Carefully go over the bridge,
then up the ridge.
Not many miles,
plenty of smiles.
3 Let in the Light (two extracts from Anne of Green Gables)
Word cloud – light
Shafts of light – dancing dust
Reflections – second-hand
Translucence – out of grasp
Emitting light – piercing
Glowing – low and warm
Flash – sudden burst
Dark
Threatening uncertainty as the dim light gradually failed, he froze in position. Eyes adjusting to levels of grey a weak pattern, a shadow, moved. A slow breath as a steady hand reached out for stability. There was nothing. Nothing at all.
4 Walking in Nature
Arriving and grounding
Bright light, cool air
Neutral brownness, with only the slightest green.
Close observation
A discarded feather, once a layer of protection or flight
Ephemeral
My work is done.
Sensory expansion
Clear air – early starts, camping. Air cool on the face
Listening to birdsong, the drone of a car engine in the distance, a child’s question, a man of the phone.
10 birds on the Merlin app: Chiffchaff, Dunnock, Wren, Great Tit, Goldfinch, Sparrow, Robin, Blue tit, Wood-pigeon, Collared dove.
5 Migration, movement, grounding
Wild Geese by Mary Oliver
March by Iris Murdoch
Not deliberately far-flung, it just happened that way. The opportunity of work a push factor. A trait of adventure-seeking, perhaps, or a desire for difference, something better. Hardly always successful and, yet, no loss either. Chance greater than the friction of distance. A roll of the dice.
Summer
I missed this session due to holiday.
Autumn
1 A pine cone
It’s like a mini-tree without a trunk and has flat branches. Containing seeds, it was probably wind-blown from a substantial tree. It will have been with many others but was picked up and that made it special. But why?
The prongs can open and close according to the weather – closing up in the rain for protection. A weather cone.
2 Summer and Autumn Meet
Based on the short poem “Let the Light Pour In” by Lemn Sissay.
https://www.youtube.com/embed/2-Doi4sBmpA?si=G851z-OEZV2WtVpx
“Give over,” said the sun.
“Coming through,” replied the night.
“More time for outdoor fun.”
“Indoors, it’s only right!”
“How much longer must I remain in gloom?”
“Just a few months,” the night decried.
“I can’t wait to escape this room.”
“I’ve taken over. Your wish is denied.”
3 Night Flowers
Inspiration from Night Flowers by Jeffrey Yamaguchi,The Midnight Garden by Sita Turner and plant catalogue entries such as “White Campion glows in low light and releases an evening fragrance to draw moths.”
Night Phlox
Under the stillness of night
Announcing myself by stealth
Without the bluster of the day
My welcome is sensed.
Across the space of darkness
Night-time insects are drawn to me
Fluttering not by sight but fragrance.
I invite their approach
For a moment of exchange.
We continue without human interference
Parting ready for a new day.
4 Tell it Slant
Emily Dickinson wrote “tell all the truth but tell it slant”.
Without using keywords but using a sheet on colour.
In the car
Resist! Don’t close your eyes!
Look away for a moment
Wait! Find hedgerow or kerbside.
Pupils dilated but seeing beyond.
The first response is not always the best.
Drive safely.
5 Resurrection
Autumn has often been linked to liminality, the sense of standing on a threshold. Taking an old photograph create a new story which resurrects the characters shown.
Formal dress on a swing but looking, perhaps, older than a child. It was a long drive from Grandad’s funeral and we took a welcome break at a highway service station. Under the pine trees we found a sturdy swing which reminded us of the time Grandad installed a swing in our yard. A frivolous moment but Grandad would have approved. And we went on our way.
Winter
To be continued in December…
Four quarters of the year defined by the earth’s rotation around the sun. Just a bit of fun really.
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