July 27, 2009

Day 12 Communicate- Waiting

It seems fitting that today, the last day of the communication commitment, I should finally receive a reply to a question. A written reply, a 12 days journal filled with answers to the question, “What is your definition of family?”

12 days journal #83 came home...only it didn’t really because it was actually 12 days journal #87, I had mis-numbered it. How ironic is that? That the first one to come back was mis-numberd. Gee Whiz. To add to the “what are the odds?” factor, the actual 12 days journal # 83 was in the possession of someone in the room when I discovered the mix up, I got to confirm that it had been numbered correctly...phew. This mix up partially happened because of how disorganized I have been with the the journals and entries lately...more about this tomorrow when I unveil my next commitment.

I am struck today with just what a task it is going to be to let you all know what comes back in these precious journals. This journal is filled with pressed flowers, pictures, incense, clipped poetry, it is impossible to just transcribe what has be written, the full flavour of the work put into these journals would be lost. So 12 days journal #87 will go into a shoe box until I figure out how to tackle this issue of how to best showcase the journals. I will give you a taste though, this poem was inside 12 days journal # 87, a poem written by Timothy Shay, the man who filled the entire journal. Thank you Timothy for participating and for writing such inspirational and thought provoking word.

Searching for Old

searching for old grandma
as hidden as spore
for her tombstone
through island rain
in green with two daffodils

being careful as a priest
not stepping on a single grave

stooping in the granite garden
in focus for grandma under
asleep and motionless
as bones or sand

dancing among dewworms
smooth creatures of dust
the curly lawn stiff
in made up manicure

grandma is your name
engraved on tree root here
or carried
by conquistador wind
dandelion warrior
from this meadow
a yellow unbroken hillside

grandma our fleshy lives shatter
as dreams or fire baked granite

-Timothy Shay


The rest of the journal will come later, once I have to decide just how to do this. Todays question which lives in 12 days journal #105 is “What have you been waiting for?”

3 comments:

  1. Wow, I love this. How generous of Timothy to participate so richly in your experiment. Wish I could see it in person.

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  2. Well I hope to come up with a way for you to see them too! They are so nice to see and smell, I was thinking of a sort of touring exhibit with them, though I imagine once they have passed through more than a hundred hands they would likely begin to deteriorate pretty quickly. Anyway I am working on how to share them with all of you.

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  3. Lots of photos, B! We may not be able to smell anything, but we can see what was in the journal, and how he placed it, etc. How exciting!

    As to your question, well, I think I've been waiting for The Next Big Thing. More precisely, I'm wondering what The Next Big Thing will be. I know it will be amazing, and wonderful, but I don't know what it is. In the mean time, I am learning the joy of being in the now and enjoying THIS Big Thing, but I just know that The Next Big Thing is going to be pretty freaking amazing, so I'm excitedly waiting to see what it will be.

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