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Shoot - Renee Pettitt​-​Schipp

from The Night's Insomnia by Jen Lush

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about

Poets commentary:

‘Shoot’ arrived like a great shout from the heart as I wandered through karri forest in Western Australia’s South-West last year.  Walking through intricate stratas of life, I had felt something soften in me, something give.  As I came toward the old dam near our holiday home in Donnelly River, I saw a small purple wildflower full-faced to the day’s winter light.  Its bold gesture made me catch my breath and I found myself opening with it, a simultaneous experience of grief and beauty, and the lines spoke themselves; I will not close, I will not let so much as one petal curl…
In the weeks leading up to this moment, I had been struggling to remain optimistic in my day to day life.  Our local community had been fighting for thirty years to save the Beeliar Wetlands; a site rich with biodiversity, a home to threatened species and a sacred site for the local Noongar people.  At this time, it looked as though we were finally going to lose our battle, as machinery began to move in to start work on a highway through the area.
At this time I had also been immersed in the work of Judith Wright for a project commissioned by Red Room Company , and was deeply inspired and moved by her passion and unflagging commitment as a poet and environmental activist.  Shoot was written to honour Judith Wright’s legacy, and as a call to courage and a commitment love, intended for myself and others.  Since Trump’s astonishing victory, many artists have begun to express that there is no room for despair as we confront these difficult and often dark times.  The future of the Beeliar Wetlands is still uncertain, but what I am learning is that we must dig deep for the best in ourselves and each other, as well as remain open to beauty (even when it breaks us), if we are to hold our vision for a better world.  I hope ‘Shoot’ sparks something in each listener that helps them to just that.
reneepettittschipp.com.au

lyrics

Poem:

I will not close I will not let
so much as one petal curl
as long as this light can reach me

so long as the clear rain falls
still I soak up
the song of the world

what does it mean
to own each
day of desolation?

it means letting the soft words
of a hundred birds fly into you
arrows finding flesh
still letting the one sun make you
and in these times of burning
find your fire

it means letting the new leaves
of each other
find an opening in you
though your ribs sing in the wind
and your heart clangs without its cage
bright red like any target

though at times you are thin and waning
pushing through each new day’s gravity
hold wait expand

put out your best blooms
send your colours into the darkness
do not pull back
your life’s
raw nerve.

credits

from The Night's Insomnia, released April 21, 2017
Jen Lush

Music composition and vocals.

Chris Parkinson

Electric & acoustic guitars, bass guitar, vocal harmonies.

Richard Coates

Accordion, keys, iPad.

Produced, recorded, engineered and mixed by Chris Parkinson at My Sweet Mule — A MSM Production. Mastered by Mick Wordley at Mixmasters.

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Jen Lush Adelaide, Australia

Jen Lush is known for her spacious and emotive, starkly modern folk songs wrapped around expansive storytelling. From her 2017 album of poem-songs ‘The Night’s Insomnia,’ to her 2021 album ‘Let Loose the Beating Birds’ Jen and her stellar band have appeared at festivals and venues throughout South Australia, Victoria, NSW, WA and Tasmania. New album 'Hum of the mettle' is out now. ... more

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