Tuesday Poem: ‘I meant it to be a poem about sparrows’—A Collaboration Between Artist, Claire Beynon, & Poet, Helen Lowe
The Sparrows
I meant it to be a poem about sparrows
and how the silence that followed
the February 22nd earthquake
included their absent voices —
& not just sparrows but the starlings
and blackbirds, the finches and wax-eyes
that normally fill the day with their bustle
about the business of living …
……………………………. all fallen silent,
hidden away, or gone further to find food
since half the city was covered
in a slick of water and mud. I threw
old bread onto the island of grass
in our own grey sea and waited …
…………………………..… and waited.
And then, finally, they came
their wings clouding the sun.
.
© Helen Lowe, 2011
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The Work In Progress:
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The Completed Work: ‘I meant it to be a poem about sparrows’
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The ‘Ekphrastic’ Series:
I commenced posting a series of ‘ekphrastic poems’, aka poems in response to works of art, on March 26 with my poem Ti, and today complete the series—but felt the very best way to do that was with a ‘counter-culture’: a work of art developed in response to a poem.
The poem is The Sparrows, from my sequence in response to the Christchurch earthquake of February 22nd, 2011; the artwork is artist and fellow Tuesday Poet Claire Beynon’s EnMasse_Murmur ii, developed in response to the poem. the two images featured above, both with Claire’s permission, show the early form of the work, springboarding off the poem, as well as the finished work.
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Artist’s Note from Claire Beynon:
This note appeared as part of the “En Masse” exhibition in 2011:
“I am currently immersed in a sequence of drawings and paintings that address the wounding we have inflicted – and continue to inflict – on our planet. These works incorporate X-ray-type images of the earth’s imaginary bones; her skeletal structure; the fractures and changing reality that, much of the time, lie hidden beyond our view. They give voice to the urgency of our active engagement in what are effectively crimes against our environment and are an invitation to consider how we might facilitate our planet’s preservation and healing.
When it comes to matters of protest, my intention is always to find a way ‘through the gaps’, to communicate in language that evokes rather than provokes. While it’s important to acknowledge current global realities in all their darkness and starkness, it is every bit as important to focus in on beauty and wonder, on mystery, poetry and transformative potentials. My hope is to peel back ‘layers of the obvious’ so as to reveal the subtler notes.
There’s a synchronistic little story behind I meant it to be a poem about sparrows and the silence that followed. . . This drawing was already well underway when I came upon a poem by Christchurch-based writer, Helen Lowe. Helen had posted The Sparrows on her blog as part of her ongoing Earthquake Witness sequence. The opening and closing lines of The Sparrows resonated particularly powerfully for me and seemed to speak directly into/out of this drawing.
Following the 22 February earthquake in Christchurch, the birds fled the city, rendering the broken landscape all the starker through the absence of birdsong. . The closing lines of Helen’s poem read –
“. . . And then, finally, they came
their wings clouding the sun.”
My thanks to Helen for allowing me to ‘borrow’ the opening two lines as a title and for permission to include her poem on this exhibition.”
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About the Artist:
CLAIRE BEYNON is a fulltime artist, writer and independent researcher based in Dunedin, New Zealand. She exhibits her work nationally and internationally and has established valued collaborative partnerships with scientists, filmmakers, musicians, fellow artists and writers around the globe. She is also a regular public speaker. In 2011 Claire completed James O’Dea’s certification training in Peace Ambassadorship and is currently undertaking online study courses in Esoteric Psychology, Sacred Activism and Human Design. Antarctica has her under its spell; she spent two summer research seasons (2005 & 2008) working with US scientists in a remote field camp on the edge of the Taylor Dry Valleys – an experience that significantly altered her way of seeing and being in the world. Her work carries a strong environmental awareness message – it can be found on the following sites – www.watersihaveknown.blogspot.com | www.icelines.blogspot.com & www.clairebeynon.co.nz
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To read the featured poem on the Tuesday Poem Hub and other great poems from fellow Tuesday poets from around the world, click here or on the Quill icon in the sidebar.
It’s beautiful. Thank you both of you. I have written lots about the birds post Christchurch and so can really relate to this.
I would love to feature on of those poems here if you were interested, Helen—let me know…
Beauty in words and in images! Thank you.
Glad you enjoyed, Mary!
Thanks for posting our collaboration, Helen. I love that you chose to create a series on ekphrastic poetry as part of your Tuesday Poem rhythm.
Well, I love your complementary artwork, Clare; it’s a great honor to have one’s work spark so creative a response.