LAURA DUFFY - Maybe someone is starting to bloom

'Maybe someone is starting to bloom' (solo)
26 June - 17 July

PARASITE GALLERY
Tāmaki Makaurau

MAYBE SOMETHING IS STARTING TO BLOOM

C. FORRESTER IN RESPONSE TO LAURA DUFFY @ PARASITE

I WAS A DAISY ON THE HUMAN’S FACE. THE HUMAN HANDS

PLUCKED ME FROM THE SOIL. I HAD GROWN ROOTS THERE, FINE

THREADS DOWN IN THE DIRT, BUT EVEN SO I WAS EASILY

UPROOTED. I WAS UPROOTED ALONGSIDE MY OTHER DAISY

FRIENDS. WE RESTED ON THE FACE OF THE HUMAN. AS WE RESTED

THERE WE FELT THE SUN COME DOWN. AS WE RESTED THERE WE

FELT THE WARM BREEZE. AS WE RESTED THERE WE HEARD THE

HUMAN WHISPER << HOMO >>. I UNDERSTOOD THIS WORD TO MEAN

<< SAME >> AND I RECOGNISED MYSELF IN THEIR CALLING; THAT IN

THIS WHISPER THERE WAS SOMETHING AKIN TO LIKENESS

BETWEEN MYSELF AND MY DAISY FRIENDS AND THE HUMAN’S

FACE UPON WHICH WE WERE RESTING. THERE WAS SOMETHING OF

A THREAD GROWING BETWEEN US AND THE HUMAN, INVISIBLE

THOUGH IT WAS. I DID NOT HAVE LIPS LIKE THE HUMAN’S, NOR

EYES, NOR A NOSE, NOR A VOICE TO SPEAK. AND I WAS NOT REALLY

<< I >>, BUT THEN AGAIN NEITHER WAS THE HUMAN. REALLY << I >>

WAS COMPOSITE AND SO WERE << THEY >>.

BY THE TIME THE HUMAN CAME AND PLUCKED ME I HAD BEEN

THROUGH MANY STATES OF CHANGE. I HAD BEEN A SEED FROM MY

PARENT DAISY. THEN I HAD LIVED BENEATH THE GROUND. IT WAS

VERY DARK DOWN THERE. I’D HAD TO BE STRONG, STRONG

ENOUGH TO PUSH UP PAST THE GRASS. WHEN I PUSHED UP PAST THE

GRASS I SAW THE SUN. THEN I ATE THE SUN AND THEN I BECAME

THE SUN. I TURNED ITS LIGHT INTO ENERGY AND I USED IT TO KEEP

GROWING. I GREW MANY SOFT AND DELICATE PETALS AND I WAS

MADE OF MANY THINGS; OF SUN AND RAIN AND DIRT AND

NITROGEN AND PHOSPHORUS. I MADE FRIENDS UP THERE ABOVE

THE GROUND. I MADE FRIENDS WITH THE OTHER DAISIES AND WITH

THE WIND AND THE BEES. I LOVED THE BEES. THEY CAME BY EACH

DAY, HOVERING BY ME AS THEY DRANK MY NECTAR AND COVERED

THEMSELVES IN MY POLLEN. << DON’T WORRY >> THEY ALWAYS

SAID. IN RETURN, THEY TOLD ME, I WOULD BE IMMORTAL. I

LOOKED AT THE YELLOW POLLEN ON THEIR FURRY BEE BODIES

AND SMILED. I COULD FEEL MYSELF IN MY OWN BODY AND IN THE

LITTLE SPECKS OF POLLEN ON THEM. THIS WAS THE FIRST TIME I

FELT THE INVISIBLE THREAD. WHEN NIGHT CAME AROUND I

WOULD CLOSE MYSELF AND THEN I WOULD OPEN AGAIN IN THE

MORNING. I WOULD TURN AND FACE THE SUN AND GREET THE

WORLD.

AFTER THE HUMAN PLUCKED ME AND MY DAISY FRIENDS, AND

AFTER WE RESTED ON THEIR FACE AND HEARD THEM WHISPER <<

HOMO >>, THE HUMAN STOOD UP AND WITH MY DAISY FRIENDS I

ROLLED OFF THE HUMAN’S FACE AND ONTO THE GRASS. I FELT THE

HUMAN WALK AWAY, AND LYING ON THE GRASS I FELT THE PETALS

OF MY FRIENDS AGAINST THE PETALS OF MY OWN. WE WERE

THIRSTY, UPROOTED, AND WITHOUT OUR ROOTS IN THE EARTH I

KNEW WE WOULD NOT LAST LONG. IT TOOK A COUPLE OF DAYS.

BEING COMPOSITE, I HAD BEEN FAMILIAR WITH THE ACT OF

COMPOSING; A PROCESS OF MAKING DISPARATE THINGS UNIFIED.

BUT NOW I FELT MYSELF BEGIN THE ACT OF DECOMPOSING, AND I

FELT THE THINGS THAT HAD MADE ME BECOMING SEPARATE ONCE

AGAIN. I BEGAN TO LEAVE BEHIND THE UNIFIED FORM OF MY STEM

AND PETALS AND POLLEN AND BIT BY BIT I FELT MYSELF

SPREADING INTO THE GRASS AND SOIL, LOOKING LESS AND LESS

LIKE A DAISY UNTIL I WAS NO LONGER ONE. AND THOUGH I WAS

PERHAPS THE OPPOSITE OF GROWING, UN-BECOMING AS I WAS,

STILL, I THOUGHT TO MYSELF:

MAYBE SOMEONE IS STARTING TO BLOOM.