(2017, Virginia)
On the day that hate rode into town
We visited our neighbor in her new home
She is over 90 years old
She tells you exactly what she is thinking
And her delight in telling you
Overflows into you.
The sun shone just that much brighter
And the tired flowers of summer
Seemed to glow and such a rich fragrance arose!
Oh! The smell of green –
It pierced our frightened hearts.
About the art
Rachel Ann Russell’s poem is about a 90-year-old woman whose delight in life overflows into others and pierces their frightened hearts. What a gift in dark times!
There is a lot of darkness in the world. How do we deal with it so that it does not become a stream of despair and bitterness, overflowing to others?
“Action is the antidote to despair,” said Joan Baez. My gift is art and writing, and so I get into the studio. I made this piece, called “The Peace of Wild Things” after Wendell Berry’s poem. When I go down to the woods, or sit quietly in our garden, I am reminded that I am a part of everything, just a tiny speck in the universe, yet so precious in God’s eye. This perspective allows me to find peace and to be refreshed and filled with God’s love, so I can move on with joy.
Jessie Schut is a fibre artist and writer on Vancouver Island.
