In the Marrow Lives a Woman was written with several distinct body-related situations in my sphere.The most personal was the developing pregnancy of my first child. Initial drafts of this piece took place in the last few months of pregnancy, with substantial revisions after I experienced labour and birth.Two external influences were watching the 2018 winter Olympics and following the force of the #MeToo social media movement. My perception of the body, and especially the female body are explored in this piece.
Conclusions I’ve drawn: the body and society’s perceptions of the body both transform by cycles, patterns and repetitions, as well as abrupt and sometimes forceful alterations. The female body is a fierce creation, underestimated and disrespected throughout history. But the present and the future hold great promise and pride. Qualities of the feminine exist in all human bodies no matter the sex or gender, or the individual perception of what is ‘feminine.’ I wrote this text as inspiration and melodic inspiration for the piece:
In the marrow lives a woman
Strength disguised as softness
Under muscle, blood and bone
Lies the feather and the egg.
A nest of memories and imagination.
The marrow rises up from where she was hiding
From where she was waiting
From where she was denied.
She knows her power can bring worlds crashing down
Before raising them up, ever more glorious than before.
Thanks to the Land’s End Ensemble for this commission, also thanks to Tim Borton, Vincent Ho and Mark Adam.
