creative reflections: 2006-08-20

This poem was created for art homework on the completion
of the first section of Ruhi Book 4...'The Greatness of this Day'
...purpose is...'To gain spiritual insights into the signifiance
of this Day and the promises it holds for humanity.'

We were asked, by our tutor, to reflect back
on this section and create a poem that reflected
our own personal journey.

Leaves

I am a tree
tree covered in leaves
leaves have seen
seen what has gone before
before this Mighty Day

lessening of light
lightening of heat
heat is guiding me
my autumn
autumn of my physical life

each leaf has its story
story needing to be peeled away
away like pages of paper
paper pile next to an opened window
window with a mighty wind
wind peeling each story away

each leaf off from its branch
branches of leaves peeling
peeling and revealing stories
stories must be heard
heard this last fleeting chance
chance for understanding to be gained

this leaf has seen young children
children playing in dew drenched
drenched spring sunrises over green
green encrusted fields

this leaf has seen forests
forests filled with laughing trees
trees mighty, healthy and tall
tall with delicate orchards
orchards growing at thier feet

this leaf has swum in crystal waters
waters of healthy rivers and streams
streams and rivers full of life
living plants spilling over the rivers banks
banks laden with blossoming plants
plants with red robins dancing
dancing with blue wrens

this leaf has felt the earths Soul
Soul of the land teaching it's Love
Love and wisdom to whoever could hear
hear the gentle beauty calling from within

this leaf has seen children playing
playing in wide open paddocks leading up
up climbing mountains stretching their views
views to distant futures promised
promised Mighty Day to come

this leaf has seen destruction
destruction of the rivers and streams
streams and rivers now encased
encased in concrete pipes

this leaf has seen forests burnt
burnt far too often that their protective
protective blanketing under story
story not able to set new seeds

this leaf has seen forests chopped
chopped to splinters of their previous
previous splender to make cardboard boxes
boxes to sell our child plastic trinkets
trinkets and boxes then binned

this leaf has seen the poisoning
poisoning of an entire land to stop
stop harassment by a tiny ant
ant in their newly built suburban homes
homes full of families
families also poisoned but never admit
admit to it effecting own nervous system

this leaf has seen the return of the native
native birds after that 30years demise
demise survivors calling a safe return
return to a reduced landscape once
once their ancient homes

this leaf has seen subtle genocide called
called prejudice of a local peoples
peoples and their culture dismissed
dismissed as worthless and of no good
good nearly fully lost but still alive
alive and growing back very strong

this leaf has seen entire families
families and communities reduced into
into addictive stupor to avoid the pain
pain of excepting responsibility
responsibility of growing up

this leaf has seen humans in their lowest
lowest abyss, having to watch helplessly
helplessly as some fell to their deaths
deaths of the young never fulfilling
fulfilling none of their capacities

this leaf has seen the struggle to find truth
truth amongst the multitudes of
of materialistic poisonous and empty
empty promises like the wrapped boxes
boxes under the shopping centres
centres Christmas trees

this leaf has seen children reduced
reduced to throw away status
status to fit a fashion or other wants
wants completly indulged in each child
child has to conform to fit into narrow
narrow societal allowances

this leaf has seen children become
become prisoners in pseudo palaces ruled
ruled by angry mums and absent dads driven
driven around in horseless carriages

this leaf has seen adolescents bribed
bribed, seduced and sedated with desires
desires of superiority, ownership over
over others and objects and futures
futures created only for their fantasies

this leaf has seen an entire society drug
drug their children to silence their noise
noise of thrashing rebellion like jarred
jarred insects left in the midday sun

this leaf has seen the shadow of the Most
Most Mighty Tree growing above us all
all shading us from the scorching heat
heat of the Mightier Sun heading towards
towards its promised zenith

this leaf has swum in the Most Mighty
Mighty Trees sacred oceans and drunk
drunk from its crystal springs

this leaf has understood the meanings
meanings of the beauties
beauties of sorrow and pain

this leaf has felt love
love from the Most Mighty Tree

this leaf has comprehended
comprehended the mighty day it has lived in

this leaf has immersed its inner
inner self into the bosom of joy
joy and spiritual wealth pouring
pouring out of Gods Grace

this tree that is me stands naked
naked with all its old leaves peeled away
away now feeding the earth surrounding
surrounding its imbedded roots
roots now stronger in knowing its growing
growing out of sacred earth

this tree that is me can now withstand

withstand the cold winter winds
winds and the on rushing darkness
darkness promising Spring is here

this tree that is me can now shoot
shoot new blossoms and leaves and fruit
fruit never seen before
before its spiritual spring

This poem and photo selection was created as homework
for a Ruhi Book 4 group I am presently in. There were many more images used as a slide show and the words were read out loud. The images below are only a selection of the original presentaion.

The homework we were set was to take pictures from our surrounding environment and community that we saw, personally, reflected signs of old orders breaking down
and new order growing up out of that decay.

As I had been stuck for many years, not able to remove a creative block around this very subject, this homework was very challenging for me. I have been a visual artist all my life and found the decay so confronting I chose not to reflect it at all. If I could not reflect beauty I was not going to have a voice.

This of cause ment very little art coming out. After I pushed through this block after consulting with a fellow group member I found myself free and for the first time in many many years able to reflect the beauty and not get side tracked by the decay.

Reflecting on Shadow was born, I now have found my voice
.................................................................................

Dancing sky with clouds

Reflection and shadow uniting
Rippling...dancing
Shadows meeting reality
Shadows of forests dead
Bones still serving