The following 40 line chain poem was created at the PF 40th Anniversary event on the 8th of October 2011 at the Royal Geographical Society in London. I want to thank the 38 people who each donated a line to create the poem. They were given the first word of the line they were about to create. This first word was the last word from the line preceding theirs. Each contributor was in the dark in so far as they did not have sight of any of other lines of the poem. The only exception being myself who created both the first and last lines.
Throughout the day people made their contribution and I think the result is rather beautiful. Here is an awesome variety of voices; dark, light, playful, profound, prophetic, comic, passionate and wise.
Pagan Voices:
A Pagan Federation 40th Anniversary Chain Poem
Ending 40 years, pause, celebrate and birth a new beginning.
Beginning and the ending make the Way in between.
Between the hours of night and day.
Day springs forth the Golden Dawn.
Dawn roared into life destroying night’s cold shadows.
Shadows hail the many named Mother of the Gods.
Gods of the living earth pour out life.
Life is for living.
Living withers to entropy, I evolve to dust.
Dust will turn the seed home.
Home, Heart, Head; Turn.
Turn, turn and turn again.
Again and again I’ll sing right to the end I’ll sing.
Sing, like the trees in Summer.
Summer, the time of fuzzy, buzzy bees.
Bees in the countryside, us in London.
London, that catacomb of passions.
Passions run faster than storms, deeper than the oceans of the world, hotter than the sun.
Sun shines on the Ancestors Bones.
Bones, they talk to me and touch my soul with secret sights which make me whole.
Whole or hole, the stones may say, in truth they speak both night and day.
Day turns to night as the moon rises.
Rises the moon in her silver splendour.
Splendour of the ardour of autumn glory.
Glory for the one who finds true beauty in the simplest of things.
Things like a swim in the sea, things that should happen to me.
Me and you and us and we gathering.
Gathering, a meeting of like minds and generous souls with a common vision.
Vision of our Mother leaps from each season.
Season changing eternally.
Eternally the dancers slow, beneath the silver moonlight’s glow…
Glow down the lane of Time.
Time for tea-time, lines etched in the sand and on my face.
Face lost in Time, lost in Space.
Space - So vibrant and inspirational.
Inspirational, a Pagan Federation come of age rising phoenix flame.
Flame burning, turning wheel of life, Spirit fire within, and dances with autumn bonfire.
Bonfire and light, lover’s delight lead me into the fire.
Fire flourish burning bright bring to us your warmth and light.
Light and Dark together weaving the tapestry never ending.
I will use the text of this poem to create a limited edition of 40 artist bookworks.
I’ll keep one for myself and I will give one to the Pagan Federation as a birthday present.
The other editions I will give to my co-authors who email me giving their address and identifying their line in the poem.
My email is: elaineknight93@hotmail.com
I’d also welcome any comments and feedback.
I’ve started making the books using a star format, this type of circular bookwork will work particularly well as I’ve linked the first and last verses so the poem forms a continuous circle.
My influences are the London Surrealist Group, modern collaborative artists such as Anthony Gormley and Ai Weiwei and ancient forms of Japanese collaborative poetry such as the Renga.
As this work progresses I’ll share it here on my blog.
