Jenn and I organized the weekend as a time for body liberation thru art, nature, play, and yoga. We knew, however, that we needed to be flexible and hold space for what others were needing/feeling. What the women ended up expressing and cultivating together, was sisterhood. Insight and space and connection with each other. Especially after this past year of COVID and a lack of social and playful time, it felt amazing to spend time together (in nature!). Most of the women didn't know each other, but by the end of the weekend we were all connected in a way that can only happen when you truly open yourself up and let others in.
Here's a poem about the wild@heART weekend, written by Emily Sha, a weekend participant and all-around amazing human.
It always comes sooner than they’ve been expecting.
No matter how old they are, women gaze
at their sagging skin with surprise.
As their flesh develops character
like soft and weathered rock—
marked by the weight of a child, by gravity,
by the sweets that keep the stress at bay,
by an errant thorn, a scalpel, a fight,
and the summer sun.
A defense is mounted. A spackle of sunblock,
wide brimmed hats, afternoons spent jockeying
for a spot of shade.
They fortify the body with clean living, movement
and medicine, but the skin still buckles, the lines still form.
On the banks of a river, women young and old,
hold each other naked, skin against skin,
roll against roll. They are dripping
with rose oil, laughter, tears. They are dripping in
paint: navy, pink and teal.
They’re allowing sun spots, fat, hair that thins
They dance, they talk, they swim
and as the tide of youth recedes,
so does the shame,
the need to compete, to strive, to attain,
joy, surrender, and softer things remain.
