Sunday 18 September 2011

Carrying a campfire within me

Even though it's been nearly a month since I headed to deepest Hampshire for Uncivilisation: the Dark Mountain Festival, I still don't quite have the words to tell you what I experienced there. So for now ....

.... Wrap this woollen shawl around your shoulders. I finished knitting it as I sat listening to the bands perform and the speakers speak. The yarn was soaked through with the words I heard and I knitted them into the very fabric of it ....
Link

.... Hold this rough ball of stone tightly in your hand. I found this small spherical rock just by the entrance to the Woodland Stage as I quietly slipped into a session where an animist priestess held a space for us for to unravel and reveal our true motives and share deeply intimate stories ....

.... Listen to the fearless feral choir and wonder what the world would be like if we all had opportunities to test the full range of our voices along with a congregration of strangers, who would quickly become friends, in a spirit of trusting solidarity and communal courage ....
The Inaugural Performance of the Uncivilisation Feral Choir

.... Words are on their way in the form of stories and poems but for now here are the words I've been catching as they swirl around my head:


It's great to know that a date has already been set for next year's Uncivilisation I'm already looking forward to the long journey to hope and then back home.

2 comments:

Daniela said...

Helen this is lovely! You were knitting the shawl when we all sat on the grass outside the main tent and AllieKSterwart started chatting to you. I think you even finished it there! And yes, the story-sharing and the feral choir!
Can't wait for the words now after this gorgeous post! Daniela

Helen Harrop said...

ah, thanks for your kind words Daniela. I did indeed finish knitting the shawl while I was sitting with you and Allie ... happy times :)

Hopefully the words will follow soon - I don't usually write longform poems so it feels like an epic effort to wrestle all the words I need into submission ... fairly certain all the words are there, I just need to move them around until they flow :)