Wednesday 18 May 2011

Writing (on) Stones

I recently came across a website which sparked a whole new adventure for me. The site talked about poetry and the practice of writing stones.

What a wonderful idea! Writing poems on stones! And before you know it I’m picturing myself beachcombing this summer finding flat round black stones, returning home and writing simple poems I have created in the winter months, upon them.

Midnight
blue raven
witness to the mystery
surrounding us
each day

I could use gold or silver metallic or Sharpie felt pens, and spray them with a protective layer of varnish.

Sunlight
gently layers the earth
warming souls
after cold hard rain

I could write little poems for the people in my life that matter so much to me, and give them as gifts.

Windspan
white flash
black slash
against cobalt sky
gone from sight
an indelible mark
remains
in our heart

And I could write about this lovely island I call home and the sacredness of the land and nature and I could get a stall at the Farmers Market this summer and I could call them “Writing on Stone” after the park in Southern Alberta I never managed to find time to visit in all the years I lived there.

And of course these same poems would make wonderful greeting cards I could illustrate, and… this is just a tiny glimpse of how my mind works…

I have the tendency to speed read which means I often misinterpret instructions.

So imagine my surprise when I began to read the information correctly and discovered that “A small stone is a short piece of writing that precisely captures a fully-engaged moment. The process of finding small stones is as important as the finished product – searching for them will encourage you to keep your eyes (and ears, nose, mouth, fingers, feelings and mind) open. Writing them regularly will help you to connect with the world, & to love it a teensy bit more than you do now..."  http://www.fionarobyn.com/


Stones is a wonderful form of writing, very imaginative and freeing. I’m so glad I came across this site and discovered the sheer joy of Stones - I’ve been writing them ever since.

You’ll have to excuse me now… I have to go to the beach to look for more stones…

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hey I used to do this! Well, sort-of. We have lots of beautiful pebble beaches here and I used to write poems and make sketches on the stones in chalk and charcoal and leave them to be found and/or washed away as the tide came in. I lik...ed the idea that my thoughts could be dissolved into the ocean and become part of the moving waters which connect the whole world together, as well as being read by a passer by. There's something rather peaceful about knowing that your thoughts do not have to be recorded for posterity and it reminded me that I am a natural being who will dissolve back into nature when my time comes. Just thought I'd share :) x

Anonymous said...

I absolutely love this idea! It is providing me with much appreciated inspiration for what to do with my vast collection of beautiful stones.

Shena Meadowcroft said...

Delighted to hear that... isn't that what creativity is all about? Making mistakes or misunderstanding directions which birth new ideas... and so on and so forth... it never ends, thank goodness! HAVE FUN!