Catfish in Imperial Pond

a catfish materializes
in the pond of the Imperial Palace
it is ignorant of the movement around it
it glides in blissful peace.

-written in Tokyo, March

Haiku

Stuffed in my own head
melting snow on the temples
mountains set me free

Cold bones seeking warmth
three fire signs ignite sparks
create a new light

(Written in Nikko, Japan, on a snowy night while I had a cold. March.)

Maori Saying

May the calm be widespread
May the sea glisten like that of Greenstone
May the shimmering light guide you on your journey.

Kia hora te marino
Kia whakapapa pounamu te maona
Kia tere te Karohirohi i mua i to hua rahi.

Wellington, New Zealand, 22 January 2010

The Final Blog Entry

Ok, where do I begin.

What to discuss first? Edinburgh and the performance? The magic and seamless stream of inspiration of Ireland? Spending a month with Megan Jacoby? The wonderful friends I made in St. Ives? A picnic in the rain and biking pub crawl in Leicestershire with Emily Culliton, Emily Klasson, and Klasson’s cousin? Spain, Barcelona, the emotions of going home and ending the trip (early), the culmination of this incredible and unforgettable experience in my life?
I have never really been able to articulate things in a linear writing style. Have coffee with me some time and I will tell you all about it. Or watch the video of the show when it goes up on youtube. Look at the photos. Read my poem about Home.
What I will do for you is share a poem from the script of the show. In a few weeks I will be able to post more of the poems and song lyrics I wrote while traveling. Then, please give me a call or email, so I can just talk to you ☺

ARDHANARISHWARA
Flow into depths of om river
Music from moon hair
Seep deep into pores
Slow shine
On a Shiva starship
Light, ions, particles
Feeling Shiva
Heal the world

Woman
Parvati, Crow, Reena
Striking figure, crazy hair
Set apart
Breathes in a way that
Inhales one language
Exhales another
Incomprehensible
Smells like other
No gesture can set communication free

Parvati, the mountain
Shiva, the moon
You cannot penetrate
Not even Shiva
Who is made of om
Om, everything
Does not know the om inside Parvati
Mountain
Solid
Impenetrable
Beautiful

Home?

(A poem dedicated to everyone I met on my trip)

Nine months
one full circle
Pula Gola
many steps many stops
and You

some fate, by the stars
the sun and the moon
the rocks and the rivers
the mountains, the islands, the temples
I met you

we connected
shared the sun, the moon, the rain
English words, human understanding

"These are the days
we hang our souls upon
and high above them
as the sun withdraws
we hang up the moon."

Home?
What does that mean?

I go to my home.
Om? and Peace?

You and I sing together
we hang our souls upon the sun, the moon
home
om
Don´t forget Mela
I remember you :)

Mela

a solid update and massive amounts of picasa photos coming soon...

Photos

By the way, I will post all my photos from the last 3 months of the trip when I get home. I have decided that working on the show needed to be priority, and when I am home and sad, I will have time to put up all the photos. So you will see Europe, the UK and Spain eventually.

-peace-

Been busy...

Edinburgh...tomorrow I finally Hang Up The Moon.

Here is the online program for the show, just to give you a taste of what I have been up to...

THE OTHER SIDE THEATRE COMPANY presents…
Hang Up The Moon

Venue: 353

Laughing Horse @ The Argyle
15-17 Argyle Place EH9 1JJ

Free Festival

August 27th, 28th, 29th 2010



Previously performed in San Francisco as a solo performance, New York City as a site-specific video project and an ensemble performance art piece, and Bulandashahr, India as a street theatre piece with rural teenage girls, Hang Up The Moon is the next manifestation of an ongoing project as a part of The Other Side Theatre Company.

Melanie Closs, performing artist, musican, and educator, is the founder and director of this brand new project and The Other Side Theatre Company. She has been traveling around the world for the past 8 months exploring cultural competency in over 15 countries, including educational drama workshops in India, street performance in New Zealand, Australia, and Europe. She collaborates with Megan Jacoby, a performing artist with her own international experience in France, to create this culmination of eight months of global cultural exploration and adventure.

Most of the creation process for this particular manifestation of the piece took place between Megan Jacoby and Melanie Closs in Galway, Ireland, special thanks to Dave Walsh and Rory Callanan for letting us use their home. It was put together in about 2 weeks, using ideas from previous performances, Laura Pierce’s writing, and experiences with cultures and otherness.

For further information or a discussion about life, humanity, culture, otherness, togetherness, world travel…contact Melanie Closs at
theotherside2010@gmail.com or melaniecloss@gmail.com

You can also check out Melanie’s travel blog at
Flyingtotheotherside.blogspot.com


Hang Up The Moon was created by:

Melanie Closs (Brooklyn, NY)- founder, music, writing, performer, producer
Megan Jacoby (Brooklyn, NY and Minneapolis, MN)- director, writing, performer

Writing by Laura Pierce (Minneapolis, MN)
Produced by Olivia Rizzo (Boston, MA)
Postcard artwork by David Thomas (London, England)
Postcard design by Meghna Verma (New Delhi, India)
Costume and concept design by Numidas Prasarn (Bangkok, Thailand and Brooklyn, NY)

Inspired by the whole world