VirginiaCreates: The Secret

Monday, April 1, 2024

In honor of National Poetry Month I share with you “Wild Geese” — written and read by Mary Oliver

This is one of my favorite poems from one of my favorite poets. This poem reveled poetry in a whole new light and converted me to a poetry fan. For this I am incredibly thankful.

'dress of poetry ...'

Because of this poem, and a
poem penned by an insanely great writer and friend, inspired me to create my 'dress of poetry ...', one of the few pieces from my dressproject that can be worn.

Click here to learn the story behind my 'dress of poetry ...'

WILD GEESE
by Mary Oliver

You do not have to be good.
You do not have to walk on your knees
For a hundred miles through the desert, repenting.
You only have to let the soft animal of your body
love what it loves.
Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.
Meanwhile the world goes on.
Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain
are moving across the landscapes,
over the prairies and the deep trees,
the mountains and the rivers.
Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air,
are heading home again.
Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,
the world offers itself to your imagination,
calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting —
over and over announcing your place
in the family of things.

hopefully this video works, if not here is the link:

https://youtu.be/T_nKg3TBzpU?si=MLPmx3CjLQ9SEl_u

here is the 'Wild Geese' panel in progress - on the ironing board

Wednesday, September 30, 2015

the story behind: the 'dress of poetry ...'

"You only have to let the soft animal of your body

love what it loves." Mary Oliver

'dress of poetry ...' the story:

'dress of poetry ...' 2007

this dress comes from my rediscovery of poetry and a deep desire to celebrate this revival. As I student I did not understand much of the poetry that I was taught, hence I didn’t read poetry once I was done with school. So for decades I avoided poetry but thanks to the magic of poet Mary Oliver, I wasn’t a lost cause.

me with author/poet Heather Panahi

It was near the start of the ‘dressproject’ and a friend introduced me Mary Oliver’s Wild Geese, and I fell in love. I suddenly saw that poems had so much to offer, they were paintings, but instead of paint and brushstrokes they used words, creating emotion, still-life and stories, little snippets of life and our surroundings. It was during this budding love affair that my dear friend and fine author, Heather Panahi, wrote a poem inspired by my dressproject and with that I knew that I was to make a dressproject dress/sculpture of poetry.

For the next weeks I could be seen carrying mountains of poetry books where ever I went. I read and researched many poems for this dress, choosing the ones that either represented a passage in my life; such as my experience in high school when I had the honor of hearing Gwendolyn Brooks read her poem We Real Cool, or ones that constituted a new discovery which spoke to me; like The Secret by Denise Levertov. I was immersed in the world of imagery, alliteration and rhyme and loving it.

my dad with me before the opening

As I collected more and more poems I decided to make this dress be one that I could wear, and this still is the only dress from my dressproject that can be worn. I was intrigued by the idea of wearing the poems, being surrounded and embraced by all the wondrous words. As the word spread that I planned to wear my ‘dress of poetry …’ to an opening reception friends became curious. They asked me if I was going to produce a book of the poems. They explained that I would need something so that people will be able to read the poems that they had watch me collect for months. My answer to this inquiry was a resounding ’no’. I explained that I had designed the dress so that the poems were printed on panels which people could lift up to read.

part of fashion show in SOWA

To this my friends laughed and reminded themselves that I had not grown up in the Boston area; then they explained to me, ‘no Bostonian is going to touch you or the dress, even if it is just to read the poems.’ They were quasi-correct, it was only later in the evening that some folks worked up the nerve to read my dress, and I believe that was thanks to the open bar.

' Upon further Consideration'
at Regis College, 2011

Since the opening reception the ‘dress of poetry ….’ has inspired myself and others in numerous venues, and has lead to other poetic projects. In 2012, I had the honor of working with the Attleboro Public Library and the Attleboro community , creating the collaborative installation, the ‘birds of poetry’. During the project, the ‘dress of poetry’ held court in the library as the ‘birds of poetry’ took flight through the library’s atrium.

'poetic' 4 dec. 2013
part of my decemberdresses series

The ‘dress of poetry …’ cemented my personal love of poetry. Through its creation and its exhibits I have discovered more and more wonderful poems, and I have witnessed the power of poetry, in children, in adults, in students and in myself.