Come, Unity

During an artist residency sponsored by the Kentucky Foundation for Women and the Sisters of Loretto, I wrote the following piece during a writing exercise.

Life-long learning. 

Seeking information with an openness to wisdom. 

We don’t find wisdom. 

She finds us. 

Sophia asks us to

let go of control 

& hold onto one another, 

not grasping, but 

l  o  o  s  e  l  y  . 

With consent. 

Consent.

Do you wish to study this? 

Is that a question to ask?

What is “necessary” learning

 and who gets to decide? 

What do we really need to learn to live? 

How do we cultivate trust? 

Trust in self. 

Trust in others. 

Trust in community. 

Community. 

Come, unity.  

Not uniformity. 

Come, unity. 

Fluid, flexible, ever-changing. 

Come, Unity.

I do not know what you are or how to practice. 

Come, Unity. 

Teach me. 

Teach us your wisdom in your

Wild and wondrous ways. 

Come, Unity. 

We are already One. 

Come, Unity.

Remind us how to live this way. 

Come, Unity. 

Unity, Come. 

Waiting for Us

During an artist co-residency sponsored by the Kentucky Foundation for Women and the Sisters of Loretto, my dear friend Mandy Olivam and I co-wrote the following piece during a playful writing exercise. We didn’t intentionally write a poem for two voices, but it seemed to naturally and easily take that form.

While still at Loretto, we recorded the poem, which you can listen to below. For those who may not know our voices, Mandy’s is the first voice, Cory’s is the second.

Key for voices in the text below: First voice- standard text; second voice-italicized text; both voices together-bold text.

~ ~ ~

Waiting for Us

Vines winding up my legs to adorn me

with flowers, blooms of possibility.

Heavy metal chain weight of supremacy

confuses who I belong to. Who do I

Belong to? The sky. 

Who do I belong to? The tick, the dragonfly, the red-winged blackbird, my human siblings,

he, she, they - a chorus of being,

canticle of creation, opening me to my Nature - 

dirty and delightful, mysterious and mossy.

Messy, webs we weave and webs we walk through,

sometimes with intention - this web is a trap

sometimes with regret - thank you.

Darkness - a gift

Shadow - material texture that makes way for exploding nebula light,

stars only visible in grief.

Stars only visible in grief

Relief of tears

Release of fears?

Maybe we’re walking across galaxies that have been waiting for us

to long more wholly for soil-stardust beneath our feet.

Do you feel your toes tingling with connection to the Beginning,

or at least to your ancestors? They’re reaching through the soil

to gently grasp your ankles as you reach to the sky.

They are holding you into eternity - “We longed for your Joy!”

Joy. Beloved. We hold your joy. Enjoy!

You are realizing us, our dreams.

Mandy olivam and cory Lockhart sit at a table smiling at the camera. mandy is wearing a sleeveless dark gray jumpsuit. Cory is wearing a sleeveless pink and white striped dress. Behind them is the artist studio of the sisters of loretto with wood floors, walls, and ceiling.

The Dance between Ease and Discomfort

I wrote the following during an artist residency sponsored by the Kentucky Foundation for Women and the Sisters of Loretto. Mandy Olivam and I were co-residents.

This morning when I chose to get out of bed before the sun was up, the play between ease and discomfort was alive in me. I began my day with the intention of ease, knowing that some of the work/play ahead would be uncomfortable, would stretch me and perhaps leave me with more questions than answers.

When my dear friend and artist residency companion Mandy and I began our work today, it was with a spirit of openness and play. We read passages from numerous books- by adrienne maree brown, Dominique Drakeford, Bell Hooks, Clarissa Pinkola Estes, and others - and responded to them in writing. Then we shared our writing with each other.

Even with a trusted friend, sharing preliminary thoughts quickly put to paper  felt vulnerable, most certainly uncomfortable. Still after doing this process a few times, each of us had written something we’ll return to & perhaps edit, merge, and ultimately share beyond our duo.

There is much healing work around white body supremacy, patriarchy, and capitalism that is calling us, not just the two of us, but so many of us, to move into the discomfort of the unknown-

When do I step forward and when do I step back?

When do I use my own voice & when do I amplify other voices?

What is my particular role in the healing process?

Entering the discomfort may lead to messing up and causing unintentional harm. We must train our bodies to know the difference between discomfort & danger. Stepping into the discomfort, we build resilience.

Allowing ourselves ease, play, and rest are also part of the work.

And so we ask unanswerable questions, we grapple, we laugh, we play, we hold in front of us a vision of the world we wish to live in, and we practice our way toward it, dancing between ease and discomfort.

P.S. Want to see how Discomfort was made? Check out the video below.

Time lapse video of the creation of a watercolor with the word “discomfort” written on it.