in the mind's garden
By Isabell Ku
if you really think about it,
the mind works like this:
sweep. swish. spill.
the wash-out of winter, cleansing
in order to defrost the bones --
to call forth all the buried
movement and cacophony.
that rhythmic rustling --
wildgrasses and budding stems,
they awaken and echo like
pulses of the heart --
mother is shifting in her sleep.
the body aches, sheds a skin.
renewal smells of petrichor,
of musty soil and slumber.
stop and prune so the mirror
is no longer despised.
so, how does the reflection look?
it ripples, roils, wriggling for life --
a snake that's seen all, remembers all,
swallowing all that's been
and spitting out the remnants.
crisp. cool. clean.
pieces from around the world
stored in the dip of this hand --
hold them near and dear.
shelved. potted. watered.
the garden replenishes --
feeding and nourishing.
taking and giving.
Isabell Ku (she/hers)
Major: English and French, double major (2nd year)
How do you see art connected to nature?
Creatives and innovators have always turned to nature for inspiration, and I don’t think it’s any different today. Nature is, by all rights, an art of its own. There’s a beauty and complexity that is unspoken and unlabeled but can very much be felt. Art, whether it be visual or written, is a means to express what we as humans feel or see when we engage with nature.
What inspired you to create your piece?
I’ve always found some kind of peace in nature. Sitting among all the greenery, wind in my hair and sun on my face, I feel so alive and it sometimes feels like whatever is troubling my heart can be silent for a little while. Hence, I thought I would write my piece based on my own experience with nature, creating a narrative that will also allow other people to experience and engage with nature in a way they haven’t before.
How does engaging in your passion improve your wellbeing?
Writing for me is freeing. It’s a way to put words to things that normally cannot be described or expressed. It’s a medium that allows me to reflect and understand feelings that I may otherwise be unable to parse through and process.
