GATHER

mixed media on watercolor paper

Gather is one of my favorite words.  It is defined as "to come together," "to bring together and take in from scattered places or sources," and "to bring together different sources into one group or place."  To me, to gather means to come together as one entity to share and to experience; we shed our differences in order to share our similarities, and it is these similarities that bring us together in the first place.

When I think of the word gather, I think not only of people, but also of materials: particularly flowers.  I love gathering flowers into a bouquet, especially when they are all different from each other, which I find very pleasing to the eye.  Differences can often form a harmonious whole when gathered together.  Often, things cannot stand as well alone, but are a crucial part of a whole.

Apart from flowers, when people are brought together, they come into physical and/or conversational contact with each other, which allows them to appreciate one another.  Gathering with someone new allows new relationships and realization of similarities to build.  Often the first time one gathers with another person, there is a thrill from the newness of the gathering, and these gatherings can often produce joy.

Some inspiration was taken from the poem "once like a spark" by E.E. Cummings:

(once like a spark)

if strangers meet

life begins-

not poor not rich

(only aware)

kind neither

nor cruel

(only complete)

i not not you

not possible;

only truthful

-truthfully,once

if strangers (who 

deep our most are

selves) touch:

forever

(and so to dark)