“Empty Pastoral”
Collaborators’ Q&A: Artist JoAnne McFarland: Emily’s poem carries a lot of emotional tenderness, and is so fitted to this time marked by waves of loss. Maybe if we were more willing to sit with our grief, not fill it in too soon with “trees monarchs use to rest,” or with “asphalt,” we wouldn’t waste opportunities for growth. I love how Emily’s garden at the end suggests imagination can shield us from despair. Poet Emily Light: This poem was inspired by real events–people were actually planting trees in potholes to make a statement about crumbling infrastructure.
Artist JoAnne McFarland is a multidisciplinary artist, writer, and independent curator from Brooklyn, NY. Emily Light is a poet, educator, and mother living in northern New Jersey.