Hunting for peace / One thousand pieces

A while back I was looking for a suitable poem for my remembrance piece for Lidice.
That time I was lucky to stumble upon '1 November' by Bernard Dewulf.

During that search on Lyrikline I also came across a strong and impressive poem by Sharrif Simmons.
'One thousand pieces' (from 'Fast cities and objects that burn', Moore Black Press, NY, 1999)

He did a brilliant reading that sucked me straight in. I just had to do something with this.
After looking for a way to contact Sharrif, I was very happy and proud to have been given consent for making this videopoem.

One thousand pieces

there are long silences in me

they come to me

as they have come to millions

in them are roads

narrrow paths

with no signs or light

nor intimidation

only the silence of pure darkness

undisturbed by the beat of the dragon´s heart

i place my foot slowly

               carefully

onto the path

the sensation invites me to walk further

i breathe silent air

no earth on my feet

without movement

i float along the thinning street

there are more silences

now than ever in my life

a universal peace that rips me into a thousand pieces

each part is suddenly renamed

i am Allah

i am Krishna

i am Jesus

i am Buddha

i am Vishnu and Ogun

i am Shiva

i am Osiris

i am Odin and Zeus

Pavrati and Kali

Elegba and Oshun

i am one thousand pieces

bursting into the midnight canvas

my colors are no longer of this rainbow

i´m walking in unison with the answers to my questions

and the deep nest of black clouds

i am Elohim

Moses

Mohammed

and Thor

in parade with the Valkryies

i am the madness of King George

i am Isis and Rah

Ahnknaton and Horus

a clap of miracles and lightening shatters the dark sky

the illumination blinds me

sinking me further into the silence of the still mind

in my mind i see this same road

on it walks a child

it is a girl

her features are thin

her skin is deep black

her hair is even darker

and sparkles with grey streaks

she is no more than seven years old

i reach for her hand

from her hair she removes a scroll

and whispers in my ear

i, too, am made of

one thousand pieces

Believe it or not, I had this track; 'Hunting for peace' that was just perfect for the rythm and atmosphere of his reading. A reading he had done for Lyrikline in 2001.



All I needed were the right images. As you can see in the pictures. I went for images I made of a helicopter. Nothing more noting less.


Words & Voice: Sharrif Simmons
Concept, camera, editing & music: Swoon
Recording poem: M. Mechner for Lyrikline.org