Summer Camp X
I – XIII
outside Cairo, Upstate NY
SUMMARY: Stellar, intimate, lowkey, immersive, DIY arts community gathering summercamp upstate, NY stewarded by long-time collectives dedicated to non-commodified environments and experiences. An old farmhouse plot with a hill rising up its back across the road from a gorgeous stream that feeds the Hudson some miles away is the setting fora gathering that’s happened for 13 years. Between 50 and 200 people, all participating to one degree or another, come together for a string of days flowing between the stream bank, the food camp, the dome and performance tents. Many of us catch up with each other here as circles reform and expand. Of the 13, I’ve been fortunate to participate in 5 or 6. The feeling of renewal is as palpable as the orchestra of frogs and deep lingering sunsets that herald the journey into deep summer night ahead. May many of these gatherings happen all over the globe, restoring spirits and communities to integrity with the earth, their creative core and the cycles of life. Below are some pics and a homage (at the very bottom) to summercampers and, especially, Kid Lucky, RIP, BeatBoxer extraordinaire. Visit The Frog King for more of the flavor.
Can we take it to the brink?
a ferris wheel unmoored
can we get lucky?
can we wake up together
in that moment
there is no morning
where clocks are
poems
seeping up from wild grasses
seeping in through domelight
arriving in various minds
as a calvacade
a fuseloge
a clearance
a beatbox
which body are you wearing
as this sky avalanche
happens in slow motion
as the candle you hold
grows to the size of the moon
and far away
a soloist mends the background
receding without hesitation
emerging suddenly into the center
a still point of perception
where our pace only quickens
where we weave a new calendar
a new geography
hum hum hum
we’ve all heard the bullfrog’s call
we’ve all dined at the sundown feast
how far off can the celebration be
if this is the invocation?
–for Kid Lucky and the Summercamp X choir
by agent mT