SeeS.A.W.

The Clearing

From the final night of the installation. We leased an old store for two weeks, built it out in one week, and showed a different backdrop and poem each night. The small round windows we designed meant people had to step up to the storefront and engage. After that it was just the viewer reacting to the words.

If you ever find yourself wondering what became of me, make your way to a forest and look for a stream, then follow its path due west, past the limbs of fallen trees and the carcasses of seasons, until you reach a clearing. For in the ebb and flow of a life spent buffeted by defeat and the wake from small victories, it is here where you will find me tying a rope swing to the branch of an overhanging tree at the perfect swimming hole on the perfect day.

The Depth of Field

. In the shallow focus of infinite darkness,

it is difficult to see. But, be patient.

Let yourself die a little. Learn how to breathe.

Know what its like to grieve for someone.

Cultivate empathy. Be courageous.

See yourself through other people’s

eyes, and choose your words carefully.

And, one day, in a crowded

room or a deserted street, I will

see you, and you will find me.

From last night’s installation. Two more nights to go !

Be There .

Be there for your family.

Be there for your friends.

Be there for your neighbors.

Be there for your town.

Be there for the old,

and the dying, and the kids

who get left behind.

Be there for the frowns you

will meet along the way,

and the smiles that disguise

the truth. Just be there.

Ask for nothing in return.

And, one day, all of us

will be there for you.

(from tonight’s installation )

Sweeeet photo  by Sam Beetler, from Night One of the new installation.

The image from the final night of the Bison Jack installation in Savannah.

Monster

.

To write a poem, you must

first learn how to build a house

around a moment. It doesn’t have

to be a big house, but it should

probably have an attic, and a

basement, just in case the poem

gets out of control and you

need some place to hide.

‘Monster’ from the final night of the Bison Jack installation in Savannah, Georgia. Thank you everyone, for making it happen. On to the next…..

The image from last night’s installment of the Bison Jack installation

in Savannah.

Kings.

I remember the days

we rode our bicycles around

the neighborhood like kings

circling sunsets until the last

drops of evening—when our

hearts were our only compass,

and all we wanted was for

someone to see through us.