"Perhaps the World Ends Here" -Joy Harjo's poem

 

Perhaps the world ends here

"Perhaps the World Ends Here" from The Woman Who Fell From the Sky by Joy Harjo.

The world begins at a kitchen table. No matter what, we must eat to live.

The gifts of earth are brought and prepared, set on the table. So it has been since creation, and it will go on.

We chase chickens or dogs away from it. Babies teethe at the corners. They scrape their knees under it.


It is here that children are given instructions on what it means to be human. We make men at it, we make women.

At this table we gossip, recall enemies and the ghosts of lovers.

Our dreams drink coffee with us as they put their arms around our children. They laugh with us at our poor falling-down selves and as we put ourselves back together once again at the table.

This table has been a house in the rain, an umbrella in the sun.

Wars have begun and ended at this table. It is a place to hide in the shadow of terror. A place to celebrate the terrible victory.

We have given birth on this table, and have prepared our parents for burial here.

At this table we sing with joy, with sorrow. We pray of suffering and remorse. We give thanks.

Perhaps the world will end at the kitchen table, while we are laughing and crying, eating of the last sweet bite.

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此幅作品是Table系列作品之一，此系列作品是於英國留學期間第一學期的個人創作，以「桌子」作為主題。對我而言，桌子是為一個獨特有機的開放空間，人們圍繞在桌子度過他們的人生時光，當中像是生老病死重大時刻，或情感交流，瑣碎片刻像是發呆放空等等。

另外，此主題也是2016年獲得台北詩歌節佳作的《簡餐》作品的延伸。桌子系列原有七幅作品，每幅作品講述不同的人類情感，像是死亡與思念、慶典與喜悅、年老與懷念、思鄉等。

當中有著三張漂浮桌子的「Perhaps the WorldEnds Here」則是以一首同名詩為文本發想，這首詩由美國詩人Joy Harjo所寫，她將人類的生老病死等重大時刻與桌子連結，與我的桌子系列主題概念十分相近。


系列中有三幅作品入選了（pre-selected ）in Ilustrarte 2018 （葡萄牙插畫雙年展）。
入選的三幅作品分別為：或許世界在這結束Perhaps the World Ends Here、爺爺的餐桌Grandpa’s Table，和計畫中Planning。