A poem to help remember and reflect about the 24 June to 4 July in England, for Forest School Research, and what it means for me to be in UK again after 8 years. The tales and emotions of this wonderful journey.
England, Manchester
I was there in 2016
And now I’m here in 2024
When the ripe is for closing
Of what inspired the beginning
I came with my research partner
Shin Ee, they call
Messenger, I call
Blessed with the alignment of stars, we arrive
We came knowing naught of the waves that behold us.
Liverpool
Into the World Museum of the many stolen goods we went.
3 hours of earth time
A time travel to the past civilisations and stories
The Egyptian taught us the scrolls
Power in incantation and spells
Much like the words over our tongue
They strike with fear, malice but also love, benevolence.
How the world moves by these Book of Deaths
Each mummy having their own.
Off to the wording of discrimination at the Natural History.
Why do we name them PEST?
Have we maligned the ones who keep our ecosystem alive?
Are we wronging more than we think?
Then came the African & South American civilisations
That we Asian so little understand
Hearing the pain from the words of history
I hear the destruction of life and stories as some are kept in boxes meant for the power.
Full of thoughts we left, inspired to change that who has been wronged.
Liverpool
Before the symposium we sat with a Pale each.
Embracing the culture of beer before the adventure of words.
We arrived at the symposium.
We met with Sara Knight.
I was starstruck.
She who I read and hear.
Is right before me.
Then the human came.
We spoke as one FS to another.
Nature took over
Mimi came
Practitioner to Practitioner we connected.
Stories flow
Live for FS rise
We found each other across a thousand miles.
By the blessing of the symposium we ride on.
Dinner with Mark
Another celebrity of mine
For he made the punch to FS
A punch of critique
One that open the box
Box of Pandora
We shared the table
Jenny, Mark, Shin Ee, Sylvia
We brooch deeply
Forest School
Education
Colonialism
Cross-culture
Food
Life
It went on.
Liverpool
2 days
16 research presentation each
We dive deep into the world of FS
Through the eyes of those who try to make sense.
Layers by layers
The falling leaves of Forest School peels before us
We saw light
We saw dark
We saw waves of in between
Robustly, each were share
Robustly, each took shape
Are we doing alright
In our own practice
The thoughts ponder upon
As we sink into the end of each day
How can we not gain from this?
Every night is a deep ponder
Day after Day
Each Symposium Day
Nourish our mind
Liverpool
The last day we enabled via scroll
We brought scroll
(inspired by the Witch Genevieve)
We rolled it out.
It was filled.
Selima
A dear friend
A wonderful practitioner
She presented with vigour and valiant
Took the breath of all
With a keynote
To remember.
She punch a line
Line of deep reflection
To those who journey with FS in heart.
Leaving the conference, we took with us so much.
One of the methods
One of the perspectives
One of the challenges
One of the believes
One of the cultures
The symposium end
The last evening
I sat for a beer
Shin Ee sat for a show
I met with Cameron
A Writer
A Poet
A Thinker
A Gay man
A Human in all
We shared as Strangers
Then as friends
Then as resonance
Of one who lost friends
To the oppression of gender
That which we live in.
4 pints of pale in
Shin Ee joined
We tear for those we loss
To the oppressions
We connected knowing
Knowing the repeat will not be.
Manchester
We arrive
At our stay at Manchester
To the amazement
Amazement of the Alignment
A Forest School across our stay
Sits right in the small park garden
Manchester Bee Forest School and Tuition they call
Both we stood.
Both we stunt.
How in the world.
Can only be Fate
Can only be Stars
We met with them
We made friends
By what chance would one stay be of that chance
To be of that proximity to the Love of our work.
The stars align…
And more it went
Manchester
Into the Irwell River Forest we chance upon.
The forest led us
We followed.
A labyrinth within the woods revealed itself to us.
By the gifted guide of Shin Ee sense.
We stood in awe
We stood in magic
We know something
We know it means
The circle of life
I, started in 2016
I, came in 2016
I, ending in 2024
I, came in 2024
By the stars of the Universe
The journey brought me and you here.
I may not know you
You only came to this line
On this poem
By this time
Because it is all meant to be…
Written by : Darren Quek
Library 