Story Info
Story Info
Joy Kreves
Washington Crossing Park, NJ
2023
Type of Wounded Place
Story & Experience
My friend who is a birder came with me this year for the Global Earth Exchange. Right away when we reached the spot I’d chosen, she began to notice all the birds. She fondly remembered being in that area with a group of girl scouts and making fairies there. There are still lots of dead trees mixed into the forest and their bareness really stood out against the blue sky. I thought about all the now-gone nesting sites, but the area was very much alive with a variety of calls. We both liked the symbolism of making a bird. I remembered how shady the central picnic area used to be and we talked about how different it is now in the sunshine. Both of us felt happy there and we enjoyed doing this ceremony together. I forgot to bring the beautiful little flag! I plan to return in a few weeks and will add it to our bird or if that isn’t there anymore, make another one.
My friend who is a birder came with me this year for the Global Earth Exchange. Right away when we reached the spot I’d chosen, she began to notice all the birds. She fondly remembered being in that area with a group of girl scouts and making fairies there. There are still lots of dead trees mixed into the forest and their bareness really stood out against the blue sky. I thought about all the now-gone nesting sites, but the area was very much alive with a variety of calls. We both liked the symbolism of making a bird. I remembered how shady the central picnic area used to be and we talked about how different it is now in the sunshine. Both of us felt happy there and we enjoyed doing this ceremony together. I forgot to bring the beautiful little flag! I plan to return in a few weeks and will add it to our bird or if that isn’t there anymore, make another one.
Why this Place?
Washington Crossing Park, NJ
I have a relationship with this park as I have periodically visited it over the 30 years I’ve lived fairly nearby. This spring when I went there I was shocked at the number of trees downed by violent storms as well as the Ash Beetle. It just looked devastated. There were trees that had been cut and removed from the road, and also many, many large uprooted ones. It left me very sad.
Act of Beauty
Say more about your actions and activity
We made a long-necked bird, mostly from pieces of fallen and cut bark and I even found a twig that suggested feet. Someone had left a tiny red paper pinwheel that we placed at the heart, my friend’s suggestion. An old smashed water bottle became a good wing support since we were placing our bird on uneven natural rubble. I picked up an old white paper towel for a tail. Its beak is a section of small, broken branch. I enjoyed how much my friend delighted in making this simple bird.
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