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| we_are_from_uug_--_rowan_matneys_co-poem.docx |
UUG Co-Poem
Conceived and collected by Rowan Matney when she led the service on Where is Home at the UUG monthly gathering on February 27, 2017. Based on a simple style of poem composition used at Carleton College (Minnesota, USA), this poem includes statements written by each person present about where they are from. Individually, some statements are profound, some are literal, and others are deeply biographical, but all together they present a snapshot of who are and the community we create together. The statements are not intended to be read in any particular order.
"We are From UUG" Conceived and collected by Rowan Matney, 2017, written by various UUG attendees.
I am from a broken door through which the light insists on shining.
I am from the interconnected web of life.
I am from turquoise waters.
I am from the oceans of California, the forests of Oregon, the peaks of Switzerland, nowhere and everywhere.
I am from a snowy day in November.
I am from a multicultural intersectional desert, mountain, ocean-cloud.
I am from too many places to list but always with a handful of people that love me wherever I am.
I am from gathering together with all of you.
I am from the forest in the northest corner of Europe.
I am from the middle where I’m sure there is still kindness underneath the bubbling anger.
I’m from the rib of my mother, I’m from fire, earth, and water, I’m often here and sometimes there.
I am from purple.
I am from eating fondue and drinking wine until the restaurant is empty.
I am from the Eternal Now and the Timeless Space.
I am from where Rowan is, but just colder, darker, flatter and north of the 49th parallel.
I am from warm sandy beaches of Florida and highest branches of tall oak trees.
I am from the stages of life that have transported me with music, with flowers, with sons and lovers of all nations searching for home.
I am from another century, when the street ended in cornfields, when the huge night sky had no satellites, when the telephone had to be attached to the electric plug, when the refrigerator was called the ice box, when Europe was a concept, not a real place.
I am from a rainy Monday morning, on Peachtree Avenue, with Prince on the radio, Purple Rain.
Conceived and collected by Rowan Matney when she led the service on Where is Home at the UUG monthly gathering on February 27, 2017. Based on a simple style of poem composition used at Carleton College (Minnesota, USA), this poem includes statements written by each person present about where they are from. Individually, some statements are profound, some are literal, and others are deeply biographical, but all together they present a snapshot of who are and the community we create together. The statements are not intended to be read in any particular order.
"We are From UUG" Conceived and collected by Rowan Matney, 2017, written by various UUG attendees.
I am from a broken door through which the light insists on shining.
I am from the interconnected web of life.
I am from turquoise waters.
I am from the oceans of California, the forests of Oregon, the peaks of Switzerland, nowhere and everywhere.
I am from a snowy day in November.
I am from a multicultural intersectional desert, mountain, ocean-cloud.
I am from too many places to list but always with a handful of people that love me wherever I am.
I am from gathering together with all of you.
I am from the forest in the northest corner of Europe.
I am from the middle where I’m sure there is still kindness underneath the bubbling anger.
I’m from the rib of my mother, I’m from fire, earth, and water, I’m often here and sometimes there.
I am from purple.
I am from eating fondue and drinking wine until the restaurant is empty.
I am from the Eternal Now and the Timeless Space.
I am from where Rowan is, but just colder, darker, flatter and north of the 49th parallel.
I am from warm sandy beaches of Florida and highest branches of tall oak trees.
I am from the stages of life that have transported me with music, with flowers, with sons and lovers of all nations searching for home.
I am from another century, when the street ended in cornfields, when the huge night sky had no satellites, when the telephone had to be attached to the electric plug, when the refrigerator was called the ice box, when Europe was a concept, not a real place.
I am from a rainy Monday morning, on Peachtree Avenue, with Prince on the radio, Purple Rain.
Why Community?
Did you just move to Geneva are you looking for a vibrant group that interacts as a genuine "community"?
Would you like friends who nurture and challenge your moral growth?
Are you looking for a place for your children to explore values and develop their personal moral structure and spiritual path?
Are you and your partner of different beliefs and traditions, but would like to find a place that accepts you both and allows you to grow spiritually together?
Do you search for ways to live your values, supporting the planet and those in need here and around the world?
Would you like friends who nurture and challenge your moral growth?
Are you looking for a place for your children to explore values and develop their personal moral structure and spiritual path?
Are you and your partner of different beliefs and traditions, but would like to find a place that accepts you both and allows you to grow spiritually together?
Do you search for ways to live your values, supporting the planet and those in need here and around the world?
At UUG, community is our foundation. As a democratic and spiritually secular group, we come together to learn from and support one another as fellow humans experiencing the full glory and pain of living. When you enter a UU circle, you will be embraced mindfully in a beloved, vibrant community. We grow together and jointly advance social justice in the world. We meet through monthly services, joint social action efforts, and social events ranging from hikes to dinners to cultural outings.
UUG is primarily English-speaking, but we are both locals and expats from around the world. We are both long and short-term residents of Geneva, neighbouring towns as far as Lausanne, and the French "frontalier." Many of us are atheists, agnostics, and humanists. Others of us are Christians, Muslims, Hindus, Buddists and Jews. We welcome people of all ages, races, ethnicities, and sexual orientations.
Stand on the Side of Love with UUB and UUG!
Friday, November 20, 2015: 10:30am - 3:45pm (10h30-15h45)
Anti-Racism Event in Bern
Friday, November 20, 2015: 10:30am - 3:45pm (10h30-15h45)
Anti-Racism Event in Bern