Transformation
by John Killick

It all began with isolated try outs

a few chords here, some brushstrokes there,

a few words here, some tentative steps there,

nothing consistent, nothing joined up.

The pioneers lacked confidence

or awareness of each other,

their innovations unmarked,

their contributions uncelebrated.

They were the only ones

who knew they were onto something.

Now look where we are:

a cornucopia of inventiveness.

The scene has undergone transformation:

cue for wonderment, cue for celebration.

And as for evaluation: no longer heretical,

hypothetical or parenthetical,

but a real description of the real,

and that means what you feel

is the essential part, let’s not leave

the heart out of the equation.

Neglect as the poisoner of personhood ---

scattered freely about the plot

by gardeners who are ignorant

of their powers of obliteration.

Creativity as the bioforce of personhood ---

the nutrient of identity,

when regularly applied to the root

the plant bursts into blossom.

We become the guardians of diversity,

the nurturers of individuality.

Or, to put it another way,

each of us holds a purse packed

not with facts but creative gold,

which glitters as it catches the light;

catches too the gaze of those

otherwise glazed with routine.

Stimulus is what we are about

and none of us should rest

until every last piece

of rare currency is spent.

- By John Killick, a Coalition Member