Spinning the Thread
a love poem from water to water
Sitting in the hospital waiting room, a corridor behind elevators, I am waiting with my friend for her surgery. Sitting together in surrender to the unknown, till her tissues have been tested some weeks from now, we hold each other’s arms/hands and close eyes. Threads of light are circling and swirling around her, spinning her a cocoon. The image is beautiful, calm and clear, the threads move through me too. She is levitating, legs outstretched, weightless. I am not projecting this image with intention, just seeing it when I close my eyes, feeling care for her. I wonder if I am witnessing her visualisation? Then a doctor arrives and says a name, I open my eyes and repeat the name to the elderly man next to me who can't hear so well. Closing my eyes again, the image is ongoing, it hasn't paused with my shift of focus, it seems just to be happening in another dimension. Another doctor arrives, says her name and in she goes. I take out my embroidery, unspool a thread of white silk and embroider the words 'I slip'. Here is the continuation of the poem I am now stitching for the Vatt-Anna altar/exhibition opening in Södertälje Konsthall in May.
Water carrying water / a sublimation I. I slip through your fingers you'll need a bucket to hold me a metaphor for mother to carry your shoulders bearing my weight as I slosh inside your skin everything fruiting I plump the fruit of you warming to ripeness will wither when I leave as you bite I am the trickle that escapes your mouth trace the river back to its source still you wont find from where I came an eye spring an offering rising repeatedly through rocks ascending ad infinitum to sky one body drinks from another in communion conducting current deer drinking lake lake tasting deer weather patterns pass between in fluid transmission you see through me I seep from your eye not wiped but sipped from skin tumbling in salt wash rushing in your ears no longer knowing which way is up reaching my surface with a gasp I spill out of you landing with a splash on the floor your groaning wooden vessel riding the storm 'Help' you cry 'Help me' as a sea creature slips onto land a seal with fingers and toes suckling me from your breast II. I I I I I I I I slip slips seep spill slosh splash through through through bucket your you'll your you your you your you your your you you you your your fingers hold me my my me me me a as an an as am a and a another a as a a metaphor for mother need shoulders carry inside skin in everything fruiting fruit plump the the the that the of of weight warming ripeness leave will wither when with bite mouth bearing trickle escapes to to to to to trace river back its is in source still wont where find from from from from from came eye spring offering rising repeatedly rocks infinitum ascending ad sky body drinks one deer deer lake lake communion conducting current tasting tumbling drinking weather patterns pass between but up see eye sea fluid wiped transmission skin sipped in in rushing ears salt wash suckling knowing which way with with reaching surface longer out on no not onto landing land seal gasp Help cry Help creature floor fingers toes breast III. liII'll thsspf ough yourringeryouyour eeda uckettoold mmemenbhpt aahorree oorothtacrryf ouldersshingearm yeighbtas woshssskl ourininidey eeryinginguit fvthr II l IIII lllllll ill umipenesspp eruittthth oouarmingorwyff wiwierwheneav asouiteyb lethaceeses rapamttth ickououthyrm aceheiveack ttrrrb oiourcessstitt ouontindom erecamey wwhffr aeyean sofferingringnp isingoughock tthearrrrepedlys sscendad iniinginftumkyatos oeodydins annkbrromotherf inunion commconcurr entitdungc erinkakakee ddringaseerttingd eatatternsass eenether bippwuw idissionanss mthfltr ouseeough meythreeps omourey yenotiped ominipped frbling wbuttum frinsk saltashushing inourrrsweay ongerowing hichay knnoup liseach rinysurith gaceagaspsp wewwewthmf outooul andingash ithaspl ooronfywfl oanoodenessel orminging ourvygrstidr HouHy pelpel crymeaseaas crureipsleat ontoandealithlfing ersones asandt meingouromeast ysucklfrbr
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