an ode to letting go
By Scott-Patrick Mitchell
this is us, descending, accumulating:
weight; memory; fragrances; love.
how we are not a singular drop in
some ocean: we, together, are life’s
motion, moving to form ourselves
from the parents, the family that
gave us ‘us’. & as we move into our
own space – of being, of seeing, of
living – we shall all one day grow
our own feet, leave this gallery, &
enter into a world where we
create art as unique as we are.
This poem was part of a workshop guided by innovative poet and performer Scott-Patrick Mitchell alongside Art Gallery of NSW staff for students at Oatley West Public School. In this workshop, students were immersed in the sculptural stretch fabrics of Ernesto Neto’s visceral installation just like drops in time, nothing, displayed in the Spacemakers and Roomshakers exhibition. They then created poetry - and their own treasured objects - in response Ernesto’s artwork, to be submitted to Red Room Poetry's Poetry Object competition. (All Poetry Object submissions are published in Red Room Poetry’s digital library.)