Fishtown
The Wabi-Sabi Aesthetic
Pioneers? Hippies? Monastic order?
Perhaps.
But native Pacific Northwest poet Robert Sund ( 1929-2001 ) and his fellow artist denizens at Fishtown - an abandoned gill-netting village on the North Fork of the Skagit River - are better described by wabi-sabi, a Japanese term that connotes a lifestyle immersed in rustic simplicity, aesthetic imperfection, and the impermanence of the natural world. Theirs is a story of counter-culture and community, but also one which pays tribute to a creative force born of friendship and the power of place.
The Work and Life of Robert Sund
"Fishtown: Art and Nature on the Skagit River"
From Lorraine Wilde at AdventuresNW Magazine; April 27, 2020.
Visit: www.adventuresnw.com/fishtown-art-and-nature-on-the-skagit-river/
Fishtown Imagined
Wabi-Sabi Inspired
Of Winter Light Dispelled in Passing
Four paths of seven breaths each
Ah, but I speak...
Ah, but I speak
with myself all too freely
on slow, winding walks
through a chilly bone wood
past kettle pond poised
for an icy departure
in quiet contentment
and pale, mottled light
made whole in the presence
of old friend and new
who indulge not a whim
to exchange empty words
about breathing the world
every step down the way
Sylvan voices converge...
Sylvan voices converge
and restore us to music
symphonic if riddled
by dark, haunting pauses
each creak and chirp honed
from an air long forgotten
when soul was not scored
by a rude education
but open and wise
to all whisper and chant
in the paper birch hollows
deceived not by stillness
the ear keenly tuned
to dead leaves in faint flight
Over untended gates...
Over untended gates
two stout linden hold sway
years apart
from the garden
neglect has raised wild
down a foot path eroded
by muddy storm waters
that flood
a gray orchard
deep-rooted and bowed
in waves
of bold thicket
and unfettered vine
old plots
of prim snowdrop
betray new arrivals
that bloom
without fretting
nor fuss for design
Of the forest I sing...
Of the forest I sing
being sung by all others
on feathers made light
by the molting of seasons
where sun-fat raccoon
and a wisp-of-wind fawn
nose mindful of earth
among bare, thorny bramble
undaunted by strangers
who bliss the full tide
each aching stride waking
down trails rediscovered
impermanent me
goes as never before
Lloyd Vivola
Vernal Equinox 2013
For more on Robert Sund and Fishtown, visit:
Bruce Brown: "North Fork Skagit River Reverie"
Go to link: http://www.astonisher.com/archives/skagit_fishtown.html
Robert Sund Poet's House Trust
Go to link: robertsund.org/
Washington State Historylink
Go to link: www.historylink.org/File/2281
Copyright 2013, 2024 Lloyd VivolaSend comments to kwedachi.ocascadia@gmail.com