Sunday, 1 January 2012

At the start of a new year



          Hold what lives behind the masks of your own making ...


          ... the music of your wild name.



          Know that every tumble, every turn on your twisting path


          is a dance within a living church of elements ...


          a sanctuary of stars, wings, breath and bone




          where the masks of your making are undone.


All photos taken in May 2011 at Kirstenbosch Gardens, Cape Town, South Africa; poem by Ian McCallum, 'Untamed' exhibition at KBG.

Kirstenbosch is where my family saw many new years in, at a new-years'-eve concert under the stars (it is mid-summer there of course), picnicking on the grass under the mountains in these pictures. 

Happy new year to all my family and friends there and in all parts of the world ...

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7 comments:

  1. Frances2 January 2012 at 10:30

    Karen, on this second day of a brand new year, I have been dazzled by your gorgeous, sun-filled photos. I have now read that poem five times, and think that I will want to return to it again as this years gains more days and months.

    Thank you so much for this excellent New Year's post. Best wishes. xo

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  2. Bella Bheag2 January 2012 at 12:06

    Wishing you a very happy New Year Karen! A lovely poem and a lovely first post of the year. Many thanks for your welcome back wishes - I thought I had lost my blog forever! It is often suggested that I do not press buttons if I don't know their purpose - advice I often ignore!

    Off to press some more buttons....

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  3. Parisbreakfasts2 January 2012 at 15:46

    breathtaking pictures Karen
    and a breathtaking poem to start the new year off with..
    what a beautiful place to grow up...
    Thank you for the introduction to Ian McCallum.
    merci carolg

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  4. paris parfait2 January 2012 at 16:24

    Gorgeous shots and a wonderful poem! Happy, happy new year to you and yours! May 2012 bring you adventure, opportunity and joy in equal measure.

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  5. Judith Bruder3 January 2012 at 11:58

    That is amazingly beautiful. I don't think I have ever seen South Africa in photos before.
    And for the New Year's gift of that fine poem, thank you.

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  6. Bella Bheag4 January 2012 at 02:35

    Glad you enjoyed the wee girl on youtube as much as I did Karen. I have watched her several times and love how she hangs on to one particular note in each verse of her song. Also love her obvious close relationship with her grandpa. Delighted to see these traditional Scottish songs being kept alive

    Glad you had your daughter safe and sound with you.

    All is calm.

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  7. Elizabeth5 January 2012 at 04:18

    Wishing you a wonderfully happy 2012.
    Wonderful photos

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