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When we think of harvesting, a picture somewhat like the one above likely enters our heads, with a machine or group of people gathering the seasonal crops. In a month when our congregational theme is "heritage," however, my mind went to a definition of a communal harvest that involved perhaps less obvious images: I began to think of the gathering of ideas, of accumulated wisdom, of lived history, of the stories of those who came before, of collective memories—all "ripe for the picking" if we choose, and make time, to listen. And then I began thinking of the ripple effects our UUCMC heritage has on each of us, and well beyond the walls of our meetinghouse.
To get us thinking this week, I offer a short piece by "eco-poet" Isabel Galleymore, who teaches creative writing at the University of Birmingham in the UK:
Harvest
Isabel Galleymore
After stripping the branches of berries
the robin held a handful of seeds
in her stomach: the robin carried a tree
– in fact she secretly sowed a whole forest –
a store of bows and arrows and shields.
Years found the bird had planted a battle,
her tiny body had borne the new king.
Men looked up to the skies and blessed
or blamed the planets moving overhead.
A blackbird, meanwhile, started to pick
at the fruit both armies had left.
What strikes you as you read the poem (and I encourage you to read it aloud to catch the alliterative patter of it)? What, to you, are its central themes?
The poem combines human and avian activity, suggesting a profound connection of influence that is seemingly missed by the "men" in the poem. What message do you think Galleymore is sending?
What "handful of seeds" have you carried "in your stomach"?
How does understanding our interconnectivity help us to sow seeds of change in our lives with our fellow humans and with our world?
Three weeks of Tea Time in a row coming up! I look forward to hearing your thoughts, as ever. And do consider joining us for these next three Sundays when our UUCMC heritage will be on display, beginning this week when the members of the Committee on Congregational Ministry do some harvesting of UUCMC's and UUism's influence on their lives.
See you soon,
Rev. Craig
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