tarin chaplin - 1941-2009
Her spirit captured a month before her death
I have found it difficult to find words, any words, to write about tarin'
death. Perhaps it is my own way of grieving, perhaps it is my own way of not
accepting. Perhaps......... What if......... There were so many things that
tarin and I discussed creating together related to "feeding the Holy:"
quests specifically for dancers, quests on wounded areas of the Earth to pray
for healing, rites of passage for girls, institutes and workshops. Our friendship
was forged by a coyote union of the practical (me) and the audacious (tarin)
in search of community that could recognize the yearnings, hear the stories,
receive the gifts of all of us, and connect, really connect, with each other
and Earth. We bumped into each other, laughing and wincing as we edged into
new understandings of ourselves, each other and the beautiful and bewildering
seen and unseen world. tarin invited me into a dance like no other.
"Not the pretty dance
Not the pretty pretty, pick me, pick me dance
But the claw our way back into the belly
Of the sacred, sensual animal dance
The unhinged, unplugged, cat is out of its box dance
The holding the precious moment in the palms
Of our hands and feet dance"
( An excerpt from This Dance: A Poultice of Poems by Jewel Mathieson)
Our last conversation was silent. tarin was already dancing in the veil between the worlds. I held her hand and stroked her ever beautiful face, hands, body. I sang quietly, watching the still new brilliant green leaves flutter and white billowing clouds moving fast in the wind. I talked of my commitment to carry on the work we both loved the best I could. Finally, I whispered simply, Dear, Dear Friend. From that place between the worlds, she whispered back, Friend....Friend.
Let us dance!
"Where the kingdoms collide
In the cathedral of flesh
To burn back into the light
To unravel, to play, to fly, to pray
To root in skin sanctuary."
Let us dance.
With Great Love,
Fran
Visit here for a beautiful tribute to tarin written by friend and quester Annie O'Shaughnessy in her e-newsletter, Letters from an Open Heart.
Visit here for the memorial written by tarin's daughter tam and additional words from Fran's daughter on the days she spent tending to tarin in her last days.
Tarin Leading the Return
Photo by Arthur Hynes