Dancing in Fetters

My next textile piece is called Dancing in Fetters.  The inspiration originally came from a visit to an exhibition in Fremantle Prison in Australia.  The exhibition was called Dancing in Fetters and has been touring Australia for several years.

The start of a workbook page about the piece.

I want to put text on the piece so have written this Pantoum which has a particular structure:

Dancing in Fetters

The fiddler strikes up a lively reel.
Our feet stamp out the beat.
The shackles rattle
As we dance with fettered feet. 

Our feet stamp out the beat
But we can only shuffle forward
As we dance with fettered feet.
Our hope lies in redemption

But we can only shuffle forward
Fettered as we are.
Our hope lies in redemption
When redemption breaks the chains 

Fettered as we were
Our hope lay in forgiveness.
As redemption breaks the chains
We dance with unfettered feet.

 

Twice a month I take part in an online poetry workshop. On the poetry workshop this week the tutor talked about writing a Nonet. This is a nine line poem with 9 syllables in the first line, eight in the second and so on down to one syllable.

I wrote the 9 lines on the theme of Dancing in Fetters. One of the group suggested I wrote the same lines in the other direction as a mirror poem.

Your feet move slowly, ankles encased
with iron bracelets, together
with rusty chain. You shuffle
forward and back, in time
to the fiddler's tune.
Dance in fetters
without hope
Lonely
Tired.
Tired
Lonely
without hope
Dance in fetters
to the fiddler's tune
forward and back, in time
with rusty chain. You shuffle
with iron bracelets, together
Your feet move slowly, ankles encased.

Thanks for joining me today
Bernice