Words, when thrown together by complete strangers, can sometimes result in “something new” that reflects their own experiences: lost love, reactions to our spastic spring/summer and of course, Solstice.
On Saturday, June 19 at the Fremont Fair and Solstice Parade, local “Teacher/Writer/Word Nerd” Taylor Houston – who also runs the Writer’s Cramp at the Fremont Abbey Arts Center – set out a blank canvas at the Fremont Abbey Arts for All tent and asked anyone and everyone to add a line to a Collaborative Poem. Each writer was asked to read a few lines back and use the images, ideas, and associations generated by the lines written previously by other authors to continue the poem.
About 20 writers of all ages and backgrounds added lines to the poem (15 of the authors who gave their names as listed are shown after the poem). Houston said, “the result is a rich mix a whimsical imagery mixed with tones of longing and nostalgia.” See for yourself:
Let! the Sun Shine
The Frost gone,
the rain splashes gently growing trees
our heart are warm and full…
My face gets wets I catch the ball
And in the stillness of the solstice I stop
to hear the sound of your footsteps approaching softly
against the sunny pavement! Oh, summer.
We love your warm caresses
Pots and lids of honey morning dew SPILT
Fun for everyone who doesn’t get hurt.
Press on regardless
The end is the beginning of something new
That something is breakfast…fruit loop pancakes!
Hurry before I give in and eat something else!
Eat something else–Like an Elephant–Yikes!
But save some berries for me.
Berries are the sweetest when gathered at dawn
A full moon Champagne Sunset lights my darlings eyes.
I must avert my gaze before our eyes
Get lost in each other’s stare
Just the blue haze of memories between us
Lasting long enough till autumn comes
And then floundering two bits in the careless wind of time
Winter is almost here, feel the breeze far and near
So soon the sun becomes less and less and the evening flame dies too soon.
– Authored by Linh, Bob, GM, Scott, Tom, Kateri, Terrance, Julianne, Rose, Moreah, Chantra, Chris West, Ashish Singru, Ani SeShetler, Lauren Marshall, and a few anonymous authors.
This is Writer’s Cramp first such project, and hopes to stage other similar projects at future Seattle events. Writer’s Cramp is a writing class that meets Thursday nights from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Fremont Abbey, 4272 Fremont Ave N. in Seattle. The class is open to adult writers of all levels and interests. For more information, please see the web site or check the events listing at www.fremontabbey.org. Writer’s Cramp is also on Facebook and Twitter (@writerscramp1).