A Collaborative (Soma)tic by CAConrad & Erica Kaufman
DAY ONE: On 8 small pieces of paper draw 8 different animals with crayons, magic markers, pens, paint, or whatever. Elephants, bats, tigers, wolves, and even supernatural animals like angels, dragons, leprechauns, horse ghosts. Make one of these your spirit totem, or at least an animal you feel an affinity for. On the back of the drawing write something like, “HELLO, my name is Craig, and I am a dragon from rural Pennsylvania. You might have some questions for me, and I might have some questions for you.” Create an e-mail address to include with your message. Go out into public and leave each animal for strangers to find on subways, in libraries, at hair salons, or taped to a restroom stall. SAVE your totem animal for last. Research the spiritual and mystical legends associated with your animal. For instance one of my totems is the crow which is said to know both Divine Law and Human Law, but always weighs situations by Divine Law. While walking through Philadelphia with my crow drawing I looked for such signs. For instance it is perfectly legal by Human Law for rich people to purchase diamonds many suffered to mine, and then to walk past homeless people begging for spare change for supper. Clearly the Science of Love has no legitimate testimony for Human Law. Take notes throughout the entire process of the animal card creations and public deposits. And involve any correspondence with strangers in your poem.DAY TWO: Begin your day with a walk around your neighborhood. Notice the animals that surround us. Try to keep a list of them and what they say to you as they cross your path. This can include squirrels, dogs, cats, rats, mice, etc…bugs are animals too, in my opinion. Look for them. Listen to them. Talk to them. Take notes. Use at least 1/3 of these "conversations" in the poem.
