Following in the footsteps of poets Wordsworth and Coleridge, thousands of visitors to Exmoor place their poems in tin boxes, which capture the attention of passers-by.
The scheme was originally conceived by Chris Jelly and subsequently developed with the support of the Lynmouth Pavilion Project, which has now been in operation for three years. Inspired by the text on the tin box - "Draw, read or reprocess, leaving the rest for future generations to praise or judge", this poem collected more than 6,000 poems.
In the first year of the project, six tin boxes were placed in Stone Valley. In the second year, these tin boxes were moved to Tar Stone Path, where Jerry had just moved the tin boxes from Stone Path to Donster Valley. He will select some of the best poems from more than 6,000 poems, then take photos and record them, and deliver them to Flycatcher Press for publication in October this year. The original work will be on display at Lynmospe William.
We didn’t expect so many strangers to respond, Jerry said. “But when I checked the tin boxes, I found that people were also reading the poems in them, not just writing them. We realize that everyone has some gadget in their hand, but we are a people who love to read; we like the simplicity of pencil and paper, and we are happy to create something when no one is around."
These creations range from limericks (some quite dirty) to commemorative poems for Wordsworth and Coleridge. The two jointly created "Lyric Poems" while walking from Exmoor to Stone Valley near Linton.
Some of these poems express support for Brexit, some express opposition to Brexit, and some include marriage plans. “Some people sit down and write as soon as they pick up the pen. You can see their thoughts when writing. At the beginning, they didn't know where they would end up. I think the most touching ones are people walking here alone, without their partners, because their partners are too frail or have passed away." Jerry said that this project is a "love letter to Exmoor."
(Translation: Li Ruiyi)
