The Tower

Map source: www.visionofbritain.org.uk

Walks have a before, during and after phase. I realised this when I thought about a memorable walk I took with my brother and his friend when I was around 20. I loved examing old maps for their secrets. Secret places that may have been overlooked. One day I was looking at a map of the Falkland area of Fife when I noticed 'Monument' written on an area of woodland. You can see it in the top left-hand quadrant of the map above. Notice the other fascinating places, The Pillers of Hercules, Maiden Castle, the fort and the Royal Chapel. The Falkland Hills area was one I knew well but I had never been to the monument. There was no path (I had walked them all) so it would mean going through a wooded area. This wooded area was mainly planted forest. I was determined to see the monument and perhaps even climb it. What did it look like? How high was it? When was it built? Was it a ruin? I had all kinds of questions I wanted answered and I started to imagine what it might look like. So we set off one Saturday and had fun along the way. Who can resist a pile of logs? We had a toss the caber competition. I lost but what a laugh. These logs are heavier than they look.

The last part of the walk was 'off-road'. The trees were closer together than we thought they would be . Finding the monument was not going to be easy. We didn't have a compass. After a lot of scratches we eventually found it at the top of a mound. It was a round stone structure with no door. It looked like a tower. There was no view and we couldn't get back from it to see more because of the trees. An all round disappointment for everyone. But this tower stirred my imagination and I never forgot that walk. About six months ago I thought about the walk and other walks with towers. I don't know why but I felt the urge to create an image and a poem. These memories and creative work I had always seen as the `after´ phase of the walk for me. The tower had become something else. Intertwined with other towers I had walked in the past as well as stories and poems I had read, the tower was transformed into something mysterious and romantic.

The Tower

Within the tower the maiden sleeps.

Within the tower she waits.

She waits for her Sir Lancelot

a man both bonny and brave

but he is slain,

the key is gone.

Her escape forever lost.

I think the poem took about ten minutes to write without using reference material

I loved the poem 'The Lady of Shalott by Alfred Lord Tennyson when I was younger - not that the poem above compares in any way but what was interesting for me was the form the words took on the page as I was writing them. It was as if I was not in control of the writing process.

My final comment on this is that I see the creative aspect in all phases of the walk and this awareness, I hope, will help me in my art making.