Urban Forest Time II
A moment
the tree feels lucky to survive
and on their road to recovery
they wear their scars with pride
and continue to get stronger day to day
here, now, I somehow feel like lichens tell me
you are still alive
we have lived much longer than you, ha ha
I feel very slow accessing my emotions
I feel connected to the tree
and thinking about my own scars
I am lucky that I am invited to come here
the campfire has seen the River change
and people change with them
my colours are always changing
I feel like we are on the edge of nature
the River separating us
from modernity and nature
time feels less mechanical, more real
off the edge, on the border
slower and faster at the same time
there is no such thing as Time
the Forest remembers
me coming to this Forest this morning
and humans, and non-humans, coming here
since long ago
the day that lightning struck
sometimes, bad things just happen
I almost lost my life to a silly mistake
lichens have survived by relying on branches and logs
where they feel comfortable
I hope to feel lucky again
I don’t want to see the coat and the tent
I hope everything remains
and the Forest flourishes in the meantime
I hope to see more people
and learn of their past, of their future
I want to be recycled and used
I am always returning
Authors
A collaborative place-based story from Gateshead Riverside Park, crafted in place on Friday 8 December 2023, between 10:00 and 12:00 GMT, by Marcus Beeby, Ruth Brickland, Lotte Dijkstra, Kazusa Hayashi, Mehmet Sebih Oruç, Paul Trickett and the more-than-human beings and vibrant matterings present.
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HERE, NOW
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TIME FEELS DIFFERENT HERE
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THE FOREST REMEMBERS
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WHEN WE RETURN
• HERE, NOW • TIME FEELS DIFFERENT HERE • THE FOREST REMEMBERS • WHEN WE RETURN
For a moment, we allow ourselves to experience urban forest time. We investigate the more-than-human connections in and with Gateshead Riverside Park, using our bodies, personal stories, and collaborative place-based explorations. During and after each prompt, we record our responses. There are the stories we uncovered.