A new poetry commission has just been unveiled at the City of London’s Moor Lane Community Garden. The poem, called A Portrait of You in a Garden, Now, was written by poet Kit Finnie and appears across eight panels, as part of the urban garden’s structure, which is inspired by the Barbican and London Wall.
The full poem will also appear online, as well as an audio recording by the poet, followed by original poems from members of the community this spring. Along with students, Kit worked with residents and community groups in the local area including Age UK, Claremont Project, Women for Women Refugees, Core Arts and The Peel, exploring themes of sound and silence; community and coping; home and boundaries and surprise and delight.
“This mirrors the content of the poem: it touches on the universal aspects of lockdown in the UK, while also acknowledging that there are as many unique experiences as there are people,” said Kit Finnie. “Having said that, gardens are all about regrowth and rebirth, so this isn’t a poem about Covid. This poem really grew out of the conversations we had in workshops around the garden, and the complexity and wonder of people’s lives beyond the current moment.”
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