
Luther Allen
Artist Statement: Talking & Listening to Plants
I say that writing is my spiritual practice. I say that I write poems to find meaning. As I grow older, this means slowing down, abandoning as much as possible conventional and traditional knowledge, and trying to see what’s really there. Exploring the world as mystery. This poem is about that process — the evolution of growing beyond cultural indoctrination, seeing trees (and nature) as objects, as the other, and then allowing myself to experience that un-knowing. I must emphasize that this is based on open-ended experience and unfiltered sensory perception. Being as open as possible and paying attention to my body and the energy that surrounds me. As you can surmise from the poem, it has taken me decades to get to this place. I don’t talk to trees and I don’t expect them to talk to me. I am not a “new age” person. I own a chainsaw; two, in fact. But there are times that I have experienced a deep unity with trees, with nature. It is exhilarating and terrifying and wondrous. It is a spiritual practice.
Luther Allen writes poems from his mostly unmanaged 10 acres of mountainside near Bellingham, Washington. His academic work centered primarily on biology and geography; he is a retired building designer. He has published two volumes of poetry: The View from Lummi Island and A Spiritual Thread (https://othermindpress.wordpress.com). His work is included in numerous journals and anthologies, including Refugium; For Love of Orcas; Washington Poetic Routes; I Sing the Salmon Home; New Mexico Poetry Anthology 2023; The Madrona Project (3 volumes); Black River: Death Poems; Death Lifespan, Vol 12; and Blue (Humana Obscura). He views writing as his spiritual practice.