Breaking Out - Janet Webb Consulting

Here is the third entry into the VERY occasional series, responding to the Artwork of My Friends – the first being here and the second here.

I asked my friend Doug Shaw to select a piece of his work for me to write about. Here is my response.

Breaking Out by Janet Webb

Warm, familiar, not loud, not bright,
This comforting place is my delight.
This shell keeps me secure, held and still,
Away from the cliff edge, safe from ill will.

These bars protect me from unknown harm,
Enclosing with nothing to cause alarm.
They stop me from doing what’s foolish, what’s rash,
Protecting me from what’s harsh, what’s brash.

But painfully bound to a familiar game,
Repeating, repeating, repeating the same,
The solid walls smother and stifle the din
And I shrink and contract; my outlook looks in.

So I break from this jail that’s safe but a bore,
Cut the rope that tethers and learn to soar.
Looking over the edge I see a different view
And risking the fall, I learn something new.

I’ll leave the comfort of what I know
And explore what is hidden in order to grow.
To climb like a vine and snatch at the sky.
And if I fall? Well, for a moment I’ll fly.

One thought on “Breaking Out”

Hi Janet – thank you for your writing. I am enjoying your interpretation and it is making me think this is an exercise I can incorporate into my arts based earning project, yay!

Here is some background to the artwork, in case it is of interest to you and your readers. This artwork is part of the We Are All Artists free art project. It was made and hidden in Liverpool last December when I was taking part in an arts based learning experiment with some lovely people who work in the NHS. The basic design is a reprisal of several pieces I made a few years ago titled ‘Stained Glass’. Here’s a link to the original works.

https://artsensorium.com/2016/01/07/stained-glass/

Breaking Out by Janet Webb

Warm, familiar, not loud, not bright, This comforting place is my delight. This shell keeps me secure, held and still, Away from the cliff edge, safe from ill will.

These bars protect me from unknown harm, Enclosing with nothing to cause alarm. They stop me from doing what’s foolish, what’s rash, Protecting me from what’s harsh, what’s brash.

But painfully bound to a familiar game, Repeating, repeating, repeating the same, The solid walls smother and stifle the din And I shrink and contract; my outlook looks in.

So I break from this jail that’s safe but a bore, Cut the rope that tethers and learn to soar. Looking over the edge I see a different view And risking the fall, I learn something new.

I’ll leave the comfort of what I know And explore what is hidden in order to grow. To climb like a vine and snatch at the sky. And if I fall? Well, for a moment I’ll fly.