Skip to main content

Daylighting (A reblog)

Cheonggyecheon stream in Seoul, South Korea,
daylighted from sewers in 2003. Image: Kaizer Rangwala, Flickr.

As I said yesterday's poem was the last of the new pieces I wrote for this year's Wonderful Wander, but we didn't use it on the walk. 
Instead Mylie Brennan read this piece which I wrote a few years ago and which, consequently DOES feature in my new collection "Hedge Songs," which will be launched next Friday evening. 
As I said on the walk and when I originally posted this poem, daylighting is a contemporary urban environmental movement, encouraging urban planners to uncover culverted rivers and discover the difference that properly managed waterways and green spaces can make to the wellbeing of those living and working in cities. The UK has been relatively late to this global trend, but it might have a special resonance in my home city, which is actually named after a long-buried river. On our walk this year, after we left the banks of the Lagan we largely followed the hidden course of the Blackstaff River, upstream across the Gasworks, along Ormeau Avenue, Bruce Street and Hope Street, to the corner of what is now "Boyne Bridge Place" and the site of the buried "Salt Water Bridge" over which King William allegedly rode en route to his showdown with King James. So much history is buried beneath our cities along with such rivers.
The poem was originally prompted by Steve Aisthorpe's book "Rewilding the Church", which uses contemporary environmental strategies as prompts and metaphors for thinking about the future of  the church in the increasingly post-Christian west. In it he suggests that we, like urban planners, should re-examine our spiritual histories to "daylight" the diverse spiritual streams that have nourished people in the past, as explored by Richard Foster in his book "Streams of Living Water." 

A long-forgotten river
Reduced to a reeking sewer,
Confined to a red brick culvert,
Like many other streams
And stories buried 
deep beneath our feet,
Adding nothing to our city
Save its name.

Let the daylight in.
Let life-giving waters
Flow free.

What other streams and springs
Are interred beneath 
Layer upon layer of tradition?
Lying, neglected, forgotten 
And yet feared, undermining
All that has subsequently 
Been built upon it
Unknowingly.

Let the daylight in.
Let life-giving waters
Flow free.

Selah
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

LentArt: Washing the Disciples' Feet

Today's #LentArt post is "The washing of the disciples' feet" by Ghislaine Howard, another piece from the wonderful Methodist Modern Art Collection. It has clearly struck a chord with a number of people, and I am delighted that tonight's guest blog is by my friend and fellow 4 Corners Director, Father Martin Magill, who, he will be embarrassed to have me say, is for me the epitome of a servant leader. Indeed it was interesting to have a friend and artist respond to my earlier post saying that this time last year she remembers having her feet washed by Martin... How much has changed in a year: This painting (completed in 2004) was inspired by these words from the gospel of John in today's lectionary:  Jesus knew that the Father had delivered all things into His hands, and that He had come from God and was returning to God. So He got up from the supper, laid aside His outer garments, and wrapped a towel around His waist. After that, He poured water ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Living under the Empire... (2) Where is Babylon?

We were driving back from school last week, talking about books that we had been reading and my younger son, Ciaran, asked me "Where is Babylon?" I have to confess that my history is better than my geography, and I said that it no longer exists as an inhabited city, but its ruins were to the north west of the current capital of Iraq, Baghdad. When I checked however, I discovered that it is actually about 50 miles south of Baghdad and the modern town is the administrative centre of the province of Babil... But just as the modern city is but a shadow of the historic capital of 2 ancient empires, first under Hammurabi in the 18th century BCE and then the "Neo-Babylonian" empire (under Nebuchadnezzar etc) in the 6th century BCE, so the earthly Babylonian empire/s was/were fleeting in comparison to the enduring metaphorical idea of Babylon. The original Empire under Hammurabi was probably the ultimate origin of some of the early Biblical stories, including the ...
2 comments
Read more

A Woman of no Distinction

Don't often post other people's stuff here... But I found this so powerful that I thought I should. It's a performance poem based on John 4: 4-30, and I have attached the original YouTube video below. A word for women, and men, everywhere... "to be known is to be loved, and to be loved is to be known." I am a woman of no distinction of little importance. I am a women of no reputation save that which is bad. You whisper as I pass by and cast judgmental glances, Though you don’t really take the time to look at me, Or even get to know me. For to be known is to be loved, And to be loved is to be known. Otherwise what’s the point in doing either one of them in the first place? I WANT TO BE KNOWN. I want someone to look at my face And not just see two eyes, a nose, a mouth and two ears; But to see all that I am, and could be all my hopes, loves and fears. But that’s too much to hope for, to wish for, or pray for So I don’t, not anymore. Now I keep to myself And by that ...
3 comments
Read more