Seena B. Frost is a teacher, poet, and founder of Soul/Collage, a collage process incorporating images, imagination, and intuition (see www.soulcollage.com). In this wonderful paperback, the author introduces us to an old fence in the Pajaro Valley near the coast of California where she lives. The fence protects fields where raspberries and strawberries are grown. Frost has walked by the fence for 12 years, occasionally photographing it and imagining her pictures were speaking to her in the first person, "telling me its name and its story, its hopes, its worries, its wisdom." The result is an enchanting collection of poems about her conversations with the old fence, which Frost sees as holy and deserving of respect.
What does the author learn from her close encounters with the old fence? She is tutored in the spiritual practice of hospitality where the wooden guard hosts birds, spiders, and vines. Frost comes to see that even aged and worn-out objects can be beautiful, showing off their eccentricities without reservation. She marvels at the healing of the old fence heart and realizes it mirrors the process we experience when we are broken by experiences beyond our control. And Frost shares with us the regrets of posts that have been damaged or pushed over: it is a sign of the fragility and impermanence of all things.
As the author bows to the fence, we bow to her in thanks for helping us to see and to cherish the many things and objects in our lives which we take for granted. As the Sufi seer and poet Rumi reminds us: "Know, O my son that each thing in the universe is a vessel full to the brim with wisdom and beauty."
