Follow the Stone Part Two
The Poetry
Four poems have emerged so far from the work on Follow the Stone. (Password: strata2020)
Written after Moving 11 June 2020 before Virtual Strata 2020
I
Walking
Painful day today
Full of pain
Head pain
Knee pain
Heart pain.
Walk just walk.
Listen to the black poet who grew up fully loved
And
The musician, son of a trafficked woman who grew up fully sheltered
And think of
Mum and slow leaving.
Can’t work today.
Can’t think today.
Can only walk
Walk and cry.
Cry with angry tears.
Walk with angry steps that stopped when the golfers ignored my right of way
So I turned the other cheek,
Not in love for an enemy
But in disgust and anger,
Thinking about municipal and commercial
Then the third golfer gave way
So I crossed. He was kind.
It is the year of hindsight and vision
According to Nakho Bear[1] :
Where we came from
Where we’ve been
And the ultimate future we want.
We’ve been pulled up short and found wanting.
Written after Moving 12 June 2020 before Virtual Strata 2020
II
Yoga
Delaying tactics – writing
writing
writing
thinking
thinking
thinking
Remembering
Remembering
Remembering
Mat rolling
Moving
Feet
Limit to 30 minutes
Structure in constraint
Keep to the count
Breathe, dream, wander, breathe
Unknotting
Unthinking
Unknowing
Slow
Slow
Slow
Stretch
Hold
Breathe
Written During Virtual Strata June 2020
III
GOING: Journey to the Stray
Turn left and straight
Turn right
At letterbox turn left
At litterbin turn right
Cross road
Down Little St Ives Street
Turn left through Viking Village
Pause
Lots of people
Carry on to second park gate
Enter and find arrived parties playing football
or sitting
or taking photographs
TIME’S PASSING
LONG WAY ROUND
Wastes time
Over the bank
Through the park
back entrance
over Balmoral
arrive The Stray
Come upon a den
A mucky half left den
Arrived I think.
STAYING:
The gentleness of staying
Ivy robin decay
Dog branches living and dead
socks
Boys
Cans
Man and log
Sunshine decking
Shimmer
Flies
“Haven’t you finished this path yet?”
Take the shortcut back
Means being less mindful though.
Written during Virtual Strata June 2020
IV
When you let it all go
What is left?
Nothing and something of nothing
Locked off
Open out big
Blocked off
Containment
Contamination in the nation
Touch
Surface
Con-structure
Con-stricture
Construct the structure
Strict-Stract
Extract
Tract
Packed, Poked, Picked
and packaged for
deliverance.
All poems by Carran Waterfield
© Carran Waterfield 2020
Part Three delves into the emerging route and roots.
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nahko_and_Medicine_for_the_People accessed 10 November 2020