Tracey-Lee Scully
I'm a South African born citizen of the Earth, currently residing in the Lake District, UK.
I have been lucky enough to live in South Africa, the UK and South America and have managed to travel to many extraordinary places. I am a creative spirit who writes, makes art, weaves and creates crafts, along with graphic design and illustration.
All of my varied experiences and the places and people I have met, have influenced my creative projects. I speak English, Spanish and Afrikaans.
I have loved poetry since secondary school, inspired by my English teacher, Ms. Van Aswegan, who was passionate about literature and all things poetic.
I have been writing since then. More recently I have been working with a group of senior poets, The Birthwaite Bards, helping them design and publish their poetry books, which include some of my poetry.
You can read these on their website.
Reading my poetry at Poem & a Pint, open mic evening in Ulverston 2018
The Birthwaite Bards - Keith Wilson, Sean Hunt, Maggie Sorbie and Janet Aitch. Windermere, 2018.
'Una Poema de Amor' / 'A Love Poem', 2020
Part of 'X Muestra Arte Erotico Espiritual' curated by Xavier Blum.
Filmed at Rydal Hall. Copyright of Tracey-Lee Scully.
Some of my poetry...
Who is Here?
By Tracey-Lee Scully
Who is here to witness
The new ferns unfurl
on the deserted fells?
Who feels the gentle
breeze and the sun’s kiss?
Who looks out at the vast
expanse of valley and hill,
of lake and sea of forest?
In this space, I am closer to the
one that made all, whoever
or whatever, he, she, or it, may be…
Here, I am one with nature,
limitless and unleashed,
from that which
keeps me numb,
held down,
small and fearful…
I am alive out here
I am at peace and in need
of nothing
to fill the ‘hole’
in the depths of
my ‘soul’
The void is empty here,
empty of pursuit and want,
empty of conflict and pain,
empty of any separateness
As out here… I am one with
the emptiness of everything
The sun penetrates my being,
the breath of the wind too
I melt into the arms of the land
I am held and know
there is nothing more to seek
I am held and know
Who…. ‘I’ am…
24/04/2020
__________
Mind Map
by Tracey-Lee Scully
A map in front of me
Up where North should be
The planet organized by man
But North and South drawn by his hand
My fingers dance across continents
Aware of our lack of consciousness
As I trace the curve of a non-existent border
A sharp-cutting reminder
of a mass mental disorder
28/04/2020
__________
Blind Unwelcome
by Tracey-Lee Scully
Offcomer?
A term I recently heard
I’m told it refers to
foreigners…
outsiders
I wonder
Is it the same as
Gaijin in Japan
Or Gringo in the Americas
both refer to
foreigners and outsiders
both deemed unkind
However,
I am told
the term offcomer
is okay
My friend Margaret says
she’s from the county
but deemed an offcomer
in this town
Jane says her grandma’s
lived here for 50 years
she’s in her 70’s now
and still called
by that name…
Who is it that gets
to do the calling
Who owns this right?
Only the earth has
that birthright
The word makes me
feel uneasy
Different
Not part of this place
a firm reminder
that I may never be
A blind unwelcome
I still wonder why
no one wonders why
calling you that
isn’t worth looking at...
09/10/2021
__________
High and Dry
by Tracey-Lee Scully
As millions migrate
Across looted lands
War and hate devastate
Intolerance and distrust expands
The powerful take a slanted stance
Unwilling to walk a mile in their shoes
They won’t give the innocent a chance
Who escape from hopeless woes
While the richest continue to flourish
And the majority live malnourished
Refugees left high and dry
And we are continuously fed
dangerous lies
07/07/2021
