Circling Perseverance
by Lisa M. Boyles
Circling Perseverance
by Lisa M. Boyles
Circling Perseverance
by Lisa M. Boyles Gratitude; Thriving. Yes.
Breathe in self-care;
Perennial-sow, grow, flow.
Space to let life take place. Being enoughness.
Lean into the edges of the comfort zone. Purposefully plant wild clover.
Follow butterflies around the city-scape.
Rich transformation makes an extra canvas. We boldly share insights now. Beauty within. Gaze.
Worthy.
Center point.
Gratitude;
Thriving.
Yes.
Breathe in self-care;
Perennial-sow, grow, flow.
Space to let life take place.
Being enoughness.
Lean into the edges of the comfort zone.
Purposefully plant wild clover.
Follow butterflies around the city-scape.
Rich transformation makes an extra canvas.
We boldly share insights now.
Beauty within.
Gaze.
Worthy.
Center point.
Lisa M. Boyles
Lisa has been a resident of the Rivoli Park neighborhood on North Kealing Avenue on the Near Eastside of Indianapolis, Indiana since 2010. She founded the Rivoli Park Labyrinth in the vacant lot next to her house in October of 2013 with the help of volunteers and a grant from the Peace Learning Center. In the spring of 2014, she installed a permanent outdoor community art display in the labyrinth space. In the fall of 2014 and the spring of 2015, the peace and beauty of the labyrinth emanated outward as Lisa organized the painting of two large scale murals a half block north and south of the labyrinth space. Lisa wrote the poem "Circling Perseverance" in the fall of 2015 and illustrated it in the spring of 2016. Lisa had a solo art show at The Art Lab (pictured here) in April 2016 showcasing the pictures included in this book.
Acknowledgments
Lisa would like to acknowledge the patrons for this project who gave a home to the original paintings that illustrate this poem: Amy Rubin, Annette Bolton, Dhyana Rayor, Jim Bowden, Kaye Hirt Eggleston, Rebekah Lawson, Renee Lynch, Shannon McKeon, Stacy Anderson Robinson, Stuart Mannon, Susan Williams Boyles, and Tracy Heaton de Martinez. The funds that have been raised from the sale of Lisa's artwork over the years provide for the maintenance of the wildlife habitat, art display, and labyrinth path in the Rivoli Park Labyrinth space. A special thank you goes to Katie Morris and Teal Cracraft of www.speakyourstory.org for inspiring Lisa to create this poem and to Amy Rubin for her assistance with the publication of this book.
"Circling Perseverance" is a poem based on the pattern of the 7-circuit classical labyrinth. Take the time to trace the labyrinth provided on the back cover of this book with your finger. Each circuit of the labyrinth corresponds to a line in the poem with that same number of syllables. You enter the path at the 3rd circuit and the beginning of the poem is a 3 syllable line. Weave your way to the center and you will see that the next circuits in order are 2, 1, 4, 7, 6, & 5. The middle three lines of the poem encourage you to stay in the center for 11, 9, & 11 syllables. Then it is time to retrace your path back out on the circuits in reverse order. The idea to structure a poem according to syllables matching the path of a 7-circuit classical labyrinth was presented at The Labyrinth Society Annual Gathering in the fall of 2015 by Maia Scott. The content of "Circling Perseverance" is inspired by the Rivoli Park Labyrinth which is an ongoing community project. All are welcome to visit the space, located at 943 N. Kealing Avenue in Indianapolis, IN during daylight hours. The Rivoli Park Labyrinth is free & open to the public & hosts events to celebrate World Labyrinth Day on the first Saturday in May, International Peace Day on September 21st, & the Winter Solstice in December, as well as other special gatherings. The Rivoli Park Labyrinth is pictured here in use during a family get together in the fall of 2015. Special thanks to Renee Lynch for the beautiful landscaping captured in this photo.
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