King’s Heath Labyrinth Poem
In October 2009 King’s Heath Village Square, Birmingham, opened. As described on its website, the Square “is an unusual experiment in urban planning because it has so many of the qualities of open, park-like space whilst being just steps from buses and shops”. Originally a walled-off area of All Saint’s Church campus, and located at the intersection of Vicarage Road and King’s Heath High Street, the Village Square now offers a focal point for all of the King’s Heath community.
The central feature of the Square is a Labyrinth. Very often labyrinths are situated inside cathedrals or within the grounds of retreat centres. Rarely are they as integrated into an urban setting as is King’s Heath Labyrinth. Artist Alison Ogle was commissioned to create artworks both within the Labyrinth and also for the wider Village Square site. Alison ran a number of workshops for different community groups while King’s Heath Labyrinth was being planned and I attended one of them. Going home afterwards, to the rhythm of my footfall, I started to compose a poem in my head about walking a labyrinth. I sent it to Alison, and was astonished a few months later when she said she’d like to incorporate it into the overall design of the Square.
My poem ‘You enter’ is set in a snaking, swirling design which leads you from the corner of the Square towards an encounter with the Labyrinth. It is, in essence, an invitation to walk the Labyrinth. The passer-by is invited to “bring a question / a thought / a prayer” and to “walk very slow” via the twists and turns of the labyrinth design to its centre … then “back / round / out / into the amazing world”.
For the full text of my poem, more details of the King’s Heath Labyrinth, and information on labyrinths in general, see this leaflet here.