It was a blue bird day, and the poems were alert in their lively cling to the wire, their flutter of twos and threes. The wind cleared their heads of winter, and they soon realized the grape vines clinging beside them were similarly inspired, weathered arms held up to the sun, green ideas budding out in the warmth and light. And then the moment came when a woman reached out and touched one of the poems. How it felt to be chosen and held like that, the woman’s eyes intent on each lettered scar, the nakedness of lines. How the women read, gently, to last letter of last word. 
Kelowna
Pop-Up for love
Standard“I was answered in spiritual understanding, and it was said: What, do you wish to know your Lord’s meaning in this thing? Know it well, love was his meaning. Who reveals it to you? Love. What did he reveal you? Love. Why does he reveal it to you? For Love…. So I was taught that love is our Lord’s meaning.”
~ St. Julian of Norwich
Sun’s out, bulbs are up, ducks have visited our swamp of a pool and left for someplace more appropriate to raise their family. April has committed herself to us, and with April comes Spring and National Poetry Month.
Poetry, hmmmm… sounds vaguely familiar.
I’ve been giving myself to writing, work days attached to my laptop more than anything else, other than necessary breaks for laundry and sleep. Yes, there was an amazing spiritual retreat over Easter where I broke from work and soaked in mystery. But, except for a brief trip and PUP in San Francisco, my poems haven’t been dusted off or hung up anywhere in months.
It’s time. Today.
So why? For love. For love of writing and sharing poetry. For love of those who may find a helpful word. For love of process. For love of myself. For love of God who has given me this day and this gift and this opportunity. For love.
Today. Kelowna. Downtown. Soon.
May love ambush you in the thick of things.
Love,
Lesley-Anne
p.s. as I prepare to go out, I go in the warmth of knowing a friend is organizing a group of love letter writers to play hide and seek with their words/art a week from today. Kelowna, consider yourself hugged!
Rotary Centre, Kelowna
LOVE POEM BLITZ!!!!! Takin’ it to the streets!
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Tuesday afternoon Kelowna will be blitzed by LOVE POEMS, as Lesley-Anne Evans, Nygel Metcalfe and Emmy Chahal gift the community with #allwedoismakelovepoems Pop-Up-Poetry!!!!
This collaborative installation will be the largest PUP to date, and is an personal invitation to Wednesday, Feb. 25th’s MAKE LOVE POEMS ~ LIVE POETRY EVENT at heART School, Kelowna.
An evening of unconventional celebration. Four local poets take the stage to share snapshots from their journeys, moments captured in the evolution of their insides.
Spend an evening immersing yourself in the vivid stories and poems of Emmy Chahal, Nygel Metcalfe, Lesley-Anne Evans, and Lolu John Oyedele, celebrating the month of love and loss at Heart School. True stories, from every peak and canyon they have found themselves. Only one rule – they have to be LOVE poems.Highlights of the evening will include a romantic creative environment, a group poem, interactive poetry, love notes for the wishing tree, and sharing space with a lot of lovely folk. Don’t miss it!!!
Tickets to the event are available HERE, through Eventbrite, and at the door.
So, be on the lookout for PUP in Kelowna Tuesday, Feb. 24th, and come out on Wednesday night for some sizzling word heat!!! ❤
We are getting ready for you…
Location, location, location
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It appears that art installations, like real estate, may be all about location, location, location. After the fiasco of vandalized art earlier last week, I intentionally returned to the same site, but a slightly different location. Rather than the quiet north side parkway, I chose a location directly adjacent to the front door of our Aquatic Centre H2O. While my daughter worked out, I installed lights and poetry and stood back all spy like and watched what happened.
Within 15 minutes all 20 copies of my poem and as many tea lights were taken by an interesting variety of people. I overheard joy, gratitude, questions and comments that affirmed what I was doing. The most energetic and positive being a group of tween girls with their enthusiastic YMCA leader who said “Look, this is a random act of kindness (RAK) which lines up completely with what we are doing tonight! Let’s take a poem back and copy it and share it with everyone.” I hadn’t thought of PUP as RAK before. Yes, I was standing fairly close by to hear all this! I also saw people take selfies with the installation. Yep.
The funniest comment was from a boy who was very excited until he saw “They aren’t real candles!!!” Then I returned to my car and received a sticky under my wiper blade. It said “you are special in many ways 🙂 🙂 “ I think it was placed there by those very same happy tween girls! So undeserved, so personal, so WOW.
I want to thank each one of you who spoke kindly and affirmatively when I was feeling hurt about the vandalism. Thank you for your reminders to rally on and not let the darkness win. You know who you are. You are my light.LA
Sticks and stones may break my poems…
StandardSo it happened to me…vandalism. Here in my town, on a rather cold November night, in a quiet little park beside our recreation center, someone’s unnecessary outburst. I didn’t expect it, though I probably should have by now. My heart was rather buoyed up after placing a collection of lights and words in an Illumination Installation earlier this evening, then took a little tumble when I returned later to retrieve my art and saw this:
in place of this:
Sure, I was sad. I wondered who would do this, and why they would steal 50 messaged tea lights and a ceramic pot… I mean, what are they going to do with those things?
For a few minutes, I took it personally. Yep. And, as always, it’s not about me. Thank goodness for those wise voices speaking into my life who remind me when I forget.
So, my dear vandal(s), you can stomp on my lanterns, bend my battery powered tea lights, and tear up my poems, but I’m not going to stop doing what I do. Not yet. Nope.
Light shines brightest in the dark.
Twinkle, twinkle.
pop-up-poetry 