TOTEM POEM: CHILD’S PLAY
Freedom to the Four Corners of the World
The trunk is to be carved into a stack of standard children’s wooden blocks, thereby complimenting the nearby children’s playground where imagination runs amok. It will represent the condition in which the imagination thrives: FREEDOM. Victoria Park appears to have become dominated by sombre markers, from the Abuse Awareness sculpture, to the cenotaph, to the gateway structures at the top of the park.
Victoria Park should not become a place where people are reminded of negative vibes and have to look at these things with their heads bowed down. Victoria Park is a playground for adults as well as children. This is a work that will make people’s heads turn upwards, uplifting. FREEDOM. This needs to be celebrated, especially amongst children.
The four seven-letter words all have the same meaning: FREEDOM (English); LIBERTE (French); WOLNOSC (Polish); SVOBODA (Czech). This reflects the multiculturalism of Canada, and the multicultural aspiration for freedom from the four corners of the world. Each word is on one side of the four sides of the trunk. The portion of tree trunk above the top of the stack of blocks should remain. Painting each block is optional.
Freedom is all too often taken for granted and neglected. Our culture is healthily permeated with art and poetry anthologies addressing the dominate themes of the zeitgeist: peace and the environment. This Totem Poem celebrates and honours Freedom, the main trunk of democracy from which everything else branches to make a healthy society.
The call for submissions went out to “wood carvers, wood artists and sculptors.” I am none of those. I am a poet. I do not have the skill set to physically do the piece myself – I would have to hire a wood carver, wood artist or sculptor to carry out the Totem. I currently have no estimate of expense.
Freedom to the Four Corners of the World
The trunk is to be carved into a stack of standard children’s wooden blocks, thereby complimenting the nearby children’s playground where imagination runs amok. It will represent the condition in which the imagination thrives: FREEDOM. Victoria Park appears to have become dominated by sombre markers, from the Abuse Awareness sculpture, to the cenotaph, to the gateway structures at the top of the park.
Victoria Park should not become a place where people are reminded of negative vibes and have to look at these things with their heads bowed down. Victoria Park is a playground for adults as well as children. This is a work that will make people’s heads turn upwards, uplifting. FREEDOM. This needs to be celebrated, especially amongst children.
The four seven-letter words all have the same meaning: FREEDOM (English); LIBERTE (French); WOLNOSC (Polish); SVOBODA (Czech). This reflects the multiculturalism of Canada, and the multicultural aspiration for freedom from the four corners of the world. Each word is on one side of the four sides of the trunk. The portion of tree trunk above the top of the stack of blocks should remain. Painting each block is optional.
Freedom is all too often taken for granted and neglected. Our culture is healthily permeated with art and poetry anthologies addressing the dominate themes of the zeitgeist: peace and the environment. This Totem Poem celebrates and honours Freedom, the main trunk of democracy from which everything else branches to make a healthy society.
The call for submissions went out to “wood carvers, wood artists and sculptors.” I am none of those. I am a poet. I do not have the skill set to physically do the piece myself – I would have to hire a wood carver, wood artist or sculptor to carry out the Totem. I currently have no estimate of expense.
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