Hold / Behold
Holding onto a memory and behold where it leads... the beauty of St. John, palm tree seed pods, mark making, and waves...
Hold / memory
I still think of St. John in the US Virgin Islands often, where we vacationed last December. Snorkeling in crystal clear waters; being tossed about in deep blue-gray ocean waves; hiking in the midst of massive trees and unusual plants. Those feelings are still held in my being, and I want to return.
Behold / Hold / natural objects
Behold the coiled sticks, long stems, fibrous seed pods, massive dried leaves, and woven inner bark! On this walk and that hike, my curiosity is insatiable. Holding some in my hands, and asking intuitively, as I always do, if they’d like to come with me. It will be to a far away place across a massive ocean, in another climate, for another experience. Some say no, let me be. Some say yes, in for the adventure.
Hold / palm tree seed pods
I came across the box recently where I’d carefully placed the natural objects I collected from St. John and St. Thomas. Each grouping had a post-it note, so I’d remember something about them.
I held the palm tree seed pods in my hands. Their ovoid shape, nub of a base, and numerous fibers tufting at the top attracted me.
It’s what first drew me to them, on the famed 99 Steps in Charlotte Amalie in St. Thomas. They’re the seed pods of the Adonidia merrillii palm tree.
Hold / wondering
Twirling one between my fingers, I wondered what marks it would make, because I’ve experimented in mark making with all sorts of natural found objects – from stones and sticks, to leaves and stems. But seed pods? And these seed pods.
Holding the small seed pod between my thumb and forefinger, and dip tap tap dab into the Chinese black ink, I began.
Hold / Behold / mark making
Letting my fingertips roll it around, holding the seed pod just so – not too tight to impede its flow; not too loose for it to roll away, a dance on the page (be sure to watch the short video above to see it in action!).
Dipping the base of the seed pod held more ink, much like a pen nib, and the marks were then speaking through asemic writing.
The ink now held sticky and thick on my fingers, and on the seed pod, too.
Hold / Behold / waves
Holding another seed pod between my fingers, I shake it. Dikka dikka I hear. The seed! Slowly deftly, I peel away the fibrous outer layer, then pry it open from the top. I am astonished at what I see inside (be sure to watch the short video above to see it in action!).
The seed itself and the inner layer of the seed pod instantly remind me of the shimmery wavy lines on the ocean’s surface.
Behold, I am where I began. I think of St. John often – the crystal clear waters still held in my being, and I want to return.
May you return to your beginning, wherever it is held, and behold where it leads you.
✻
LouLou
“Hold/Behold” was originally published as an exclusive post to my Patreon supporters in June 2022. Now it is public to you, too!
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