What a Life I Lead in the Spring
Performance Duration: 26 minutes
April 26th, 2019
Spring Arts Festival, Warren Wilson College, Asheville, NC
On a rain-drenched spring day, with my feet exposed to the warm, wet concrete, I cradled a wooden basket overflowing with fragrant chamomile blossoms. Ahead of me, a lush 4x6-foot island of emerald green grass. Along its perimeter, 14 ghostly white slip-cast stoneware mason jars stood ready for their sacred duty. Next to them, a steel water bucket glimmered, a jar of golden honey glistened, and a glass jug of creamy milk shimmered in the soft light.
I circled the grass island several times, reverently filling each mason jar with a generous handful of chamomile blossoms from my basket. Then, I stepped onto the dewy grass and assumed a kneeling position behind the steel bucket. With a slow and deliberate pour, I filled the bucket with the milk, stirred in the honey with my bare hands, and breathed in the sweet scent.
Rising to my feet, now marked with wet grass stains, I picked up a mason jar and filled it with the sacred mixture. I then gently watered the chamomile that had been blended into the grass, submerging the jar until it was empty. With a graceful toss, I let the jar shatter on the concrete, its remnants dissolving into the liquid that once filled it. I repeated this process again and again until every jar was shattered, and the chamomile and grass were thoroughly watered.
Finally, with the wooden basket still clutched to my chest and the steel can hanging at my side, I walked around the grass island, showering it with the remaining chamomile blossoms. I then tipped the steel bucket and let the remaining milk and honey cascade over the grass, completing the ritual. With a deep sense of peace and fulfillment, I walked away, leaving the island to bask in its nourishment as Spring began.
Images by Casey "Red" Herring