Up My Street
Do you ever see, do you stop and consider the place where you reside?
Or do you look intently, peering from outside
Your imagination runs riot, wondering who lives within
Or do you scurry past the doors, anonymity intact.
Each door tells a story, the marks, the scuffs,
Unique handles, patina and rust
The front spaces; a patchwork of care and design
Blowsy old roses creeping to the sky,
Pampas grasses filling the space
Old groaning oaks, planted too near
Burrowing their roots through the foundations
Some people’s fronts, a comment on their lives
Carefree, too busy, rubbish blown in
Windows, some sparkling, cleaned by a local
Others, streaky with tiny handprints pressed up close
Dangling with rainbows, cobwebs, windchimes
Stickers and phrases, prohibiting salesmen
Announcing an arrival, birthday occasion
Some of these dwellings deserve a feature
Of how to curate a pleasing structure
In publications designed to sell
A lifestyle, a vibe, a materialist’s dream
Tucked away silently are less imposing walls
Quietly whispering of their comfort
Their mismatched yet cosy outsides and in
Telling a tale that home is for living
Not for show,
Memories made, relaxing and growing
Painting, remodelling our maturing lives
Births, lives, breakups and breakdowns
Deaths and parting, leaving and loving
Look up further, there’s more than just this
Spy the teddies, the dolls, the cars and tractors
Posters, makeup, dust and books
Voluminous velveted sweeping curtains
Crisp eyeleted striped precise blinds
Some never close, some never open
Some open at odd times, shift worker’s homes
Roof space converted,
Chimney stacks cracked
Birds nests blocking a real fire within
Look around at the pride of the dwellers
The transportation, gleaming or rusting
Can hint of their views on sustainable living
See down the streets, the potholes, the manholes
The fences, the bricked walls, drives and the hedgerows
Where are the parks, the places to play,
The areas to commune and catchup and cluster
Sometimes the only combination of green and space
The places where cobwebs are dusted from the soul
Areas to exercise, breathe deeply and run
Picnics and reading and rays from the sun
Built up beds, full of flowers and shrubs
Neighbourhood veggies, allotments and drugs
Are our streets safe for the lonely, the women, the children?
Can you walk under decorative streetlights without fear?
Is your park full of discarded needles, canisters and cans?
Fearing walking through shrubbery and meeting a gang
Is this suburbia? What about the rest?
The remote, the small, the forest dwellers
The communities linked by animals and crops
The incomers, outgoers, second homers and retirers
What are their streets like? Cobbled or winding
Remote, deserted, dusty or unkempt
A sense of the community dwelling at distance
Find the halls, the pubs, the restaurant and churches
Places of worship bringing together
Surgeries, services, stores and sheds
Meeting the needs of the people contained
Fairs and meets, likeminded entertained
A chance for the remote to keep coming near
Our ‘streets’ may be tarmacked in grey
But are festooned with life
Art in the colours painted on bricks,
Graffiti scrawled on dour walls
Creative types bringing life to the dreary
Wind blown seeds sprouting to flower
Life bursting from the cracks
That’s where the light gets in
Some never see the light, remaining sheltered, alone
No neighbours who notice that they’re always home
Unable to leave for fear or extended age
Reliant on those who deliver life to their door
Brief smiles from deliverers and then hours of silence
Our streets are a social commentary on our priorities
Our ability to notice what needs improving
Reducing the grey of our lives with planted beauty
Reducing the solitude of other’s lives with intentional kindness
These roads of our lives are filled with potential
Possibilities unique to us and our communities
How will you add to the beauty you are amidst?
Considering where we reside, or live or feel at home can make us think very differently to others. Creating a piece of art describing what a dwelling means to you, or simply where you feel at home can be cathartic. Fashion a piece of art that's also a creative social historic piece for generations beyond you to look at and understand what your connection to your street looked like. Do join in with us we'd love to understand what it's like to live where you are.
If you want to create along with us, please share on our social feeds so we can see what you get up to. The best places are Instagram @paperartsy or post in PaperArtsy People Group on Facebook. Make sure you tag us in your contributions, we love to see what you get up to in your creative world!
3 comments:
Ohh Keren such a fun way to do the intro to this topic!
Brilliant... well, it's words and pictures, isn't it, so I would like it!! A great inspiration post, Keren.
Alison x
Gorgeous words and pictures.. and STAMPS, PAPER and COLOR, so just as Alison says: I like it, if this was the only reason! BUT it's also a post with beautiful inspiration!
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