The Field

The Field

by Jessie Brown

Don't you envy them in the eagerness, the dogs

plumed and joyous on the green field,

who hold no opinions, who find nothing right or wrong,

for whom everything simply is—

dirt, muck, tangle—

and all of it is good?

O to have no one thing we crave above all others

but to inhale it all,

when the gods let us slip the leash.

Lucky, Anabiosis Press, 2012

A Dialog about Approach with Adria and Jessie

Approach Mounted at Art Rocks Menotomy

Approach is an installation conceived and executed by Adria Arch, featuring the poem The Field by Jessie Brown. The piece is part of an exhibit of temporary public art, Art Rocks Menotomy, in Menotomy Rocks Park, 150 Jason Street in Arlington, Massachusetts, on view from May 4 through 26, 2014.

Plastic lawn signs are ubiquitous. We associate them with unsightly commercialism. They hawk political campaigners, singles groups, pest control companies and realty for sale. Using the format of the familiar lawn sign, this installation subverts its use as an unwelcome intervention and instead provides a contemplative poetic experience for the viewer that encourages interaction.