Returning from Perth, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to visit the Corbenic Poetry Path.
Located near the village of Trochy (PH8 0DY for the SatNav), the concept is beautiful in its simplicity: a 3km walk, through woods and across fields, that is imbued with lines and verses of poetry in a variety of forms.
Such was the enjoyment that I received from visiting the Poetry Path (though unable to complete the full walk due to the expected wet weather I was unprepared for) that I don’t want to recreate every bit here. Just enough to tempt others to make a point of experiencing it in the flesh.
The installations were an adventure in themselves: some stuck out quite clearly, like the tv, while others only revealed themselves on approach, such as a the path above.
Some lent themselves to the possibility of being recreated and personalised in the homestead, like the stacked logs below…
…While others were uniquely suited to, and born from, their surrounding environment.
For me, the path reaffirms my belief that poetry, in its broadest spectrum, can reach everyone, and more needs to be done to take it beyond the classroom and the bookshop. The poets and poetry selected are both profound and accessible, as the project is keen to encourage live events and readings.
A project such as this is a gift. To those who hunt out the harmony that poetry brings to them, it is an escape, a proof, and a validation all in one. And to those who just stumble upon it? A clear sign that poetry is, and can be, a living, breathing part of everyday life.