The following poem was written by local CSA farmer and Art Garden board member John Hoffman, in response to the exhibit’s theme and title.
Together We Are
Together we are more than 7 billion
Together we are, from a genetic point of view
85% the same as mice,
98% the same as certain monkeys
Together we are home to
trillions upon trillions of microorganisms
Together we are an encore of stuff from stars
Together we are not as heavy as all the termites
Together we are artists, antiquarians, astrobiologists
Together we are explorers — the Arctic, the moon, the cell
Together we are authors — Gilgamesh, Revelation
Paradise Lost, Charlotte’s Web
Together we are inventors — atomic bomb
Gatling gun, the sword, the mace, the fist
Together we are an uncertain wager,
out of control, which could be
passing a point of no return, could
still wake up in time and change
Together we can be so tender with each other,
hungry to love, delighted by beauty, babies, the heart bared
Together we are the ones who occupy this
river land, sow these fields, eat the
rain and sun and stars, weep for
our failures, invite each other to walk simply
watch where we step, pick up our trash,
live like other animals do, considerately
This and 39 other works by 30 artists and writers can be seen and interacted with through January 28th, Monday through Saturday, 1pm-5pm.
This exhibit is funded in part by grants from the following local cultural councils:
Ashfield,
Buckland,
Charlemont-Hawley,
Colrain,
Heath,
Leyden,
and Shelburne.
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
Beautiful poem, John!