A collective poem co-created in community at the Creekside Concert on July 4th, 2020. Poetry facilitated by Serap Brown.
When I walk by Bowker Creek,
I stop.
I think if the hidden water under the streets that I thought I knew.
I remember the 1969 grad notebook that I flung into the creek
between the school and Hampshire.
The silence can silence the silence; holy is the name of Dog.
I remember a true love lost, intention a new love beginning.
I know that life is love.
When I walk by Bowker creek,
Cold water over my toes as swooping birds come and go.
I think of the crawdad that I found 6 years ago.
I breathe in the relief of stillness in the middle of the city,
I feel a connection to the land.
When I walk by Bowker Creek,
It surprises me.
I slow and soften.
I love living in this community.
When I sit by Bowker Creek,
I see the water bringing life to the nature as it passes through.
My soul becomes lighter, and all troubles dissolve.
When I sit at Bowker Creek,
the child in me awakens and gets lost in the magic of running waters.
I dream of hearing the old song of cementless creeks,
Murmle, murmle, murmle.
I feel myself transported back in time, forward in time…. I feel time stand still.
A sweet escape from concrete is revealed, to us both.
I feel my soul soar.
When I listen to Bowker Creek,
I wonder what the ancestors hear, what the water feels,
and how many know about this hidden treasure.
When I listen to Bowker Creek,
I hear a gentle chuckle
I hear laughter.
I dream of the day the salmon can come back,
the day the creek is clean and welcoming as this home must and should be.
I feel it is ancient.
Poetry facilitated by: Serap Brown
Creekside Concerts are presented by: The Friends of Bowker Creek Society (bowkercreek.org) and Tune Your Ride (tuneyourride.com)
More info about Creekside Concerts: www.creeksideconcerts.ca
Recording of the event: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AN8E_Iq6rws