Warwick Woodland Words II

…on to the stick

I am the stick

    that races in the river

    I twist and turn

    as I float into the unknown

I am the unknown

    the unfamiliar smells

    that come with an unexpected turn of the weather

    descending on the local inhabitants

I am the inhabitants

    I walk the land

    we are known

    by the people of the river

I am the people of the river

    protecting you

    I’ve watched over you throughout your life

    and this is the result

I am the result

    of my history

    which makes my heart beating

    for leaves

I am not a white flower

    but listening to the leaf

    on my foot

I am a white flower

    I live with leaves

I am the leaf

    fleeting, floating, providing

    ephemeral but repeatable

    I will be here again on the willow

I am the willow

    I am not trustworthy

or very stable!

climb me if you dare

but step like a feather!

I am the feather

    I am keeping birds dry

    as the rain pours from the sky

    I floating down and land

    on to the stick

I am the stick

    that races in the river…

Authors

A collaborative place-based story from the Arboricultural Association’s annual Amenity Conference, transcribed here as crafted and captured in place in Warwick, on Tuesday 10 September 2024, between 16:45 and 17:45 BST, by Lotte Dijkstra, and the more-than-human conference delegates present.

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WOODLAND

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WORDS

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WARWICK

• WOODLAND • WORDS • WARWICK

For a moment, we took a step outside of the conference venue. We investigated the urban forest on the campus of Warwick University, using our bodies, personal stories, and collaborative place explorations. During and after each exercise, we recorded our responses. The Warwick Woodland Words share the stories we uncovered.

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