Times of the Islands Winter 2020/21
Presents the "soul of the Turks & Caicos Islands" with in-depth features about local people, culture, history, environment, real estate, businesses, resorts, restaurants and activities.
Presents the "soul of the Turks & Caicos Islands" with in-depth features about local people, culture, history, environment, real estate, businesses, resorts, restaurants and activities.
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petite in <strong>the</strong> tail. I’d never seen shark vertebrae, and was<br />
in awe. They were small and white, delicate. This fierce<br />
predator had exquisite gems running <strong>the</strong> length <strong>of</strong> its<br />
backbone. And such artistry in each one! Cylindrical,<br />
about as long as my thumbnail, with small oval holes<br />
along one side.<br />
Immediately I could see a necklace. I picked <strong>the</strong> vertebrae<br />
out <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> hot pile, brought <strong>the</strong>m home and let<br />
<strong>the</strong>m completely dry on a plate in <strong>the</strong> sun. Days later, I<br />
DIANE TAYLOR<br />
Diane Taylor shows a pumpkin grown in PRIDE’s experimental garden<br />
in <strong>the</strong> early 1980s. She added compost and wood ashes to <strong>the</strong> sandy,<br />
salty alkaline soil to get better yield.<br />
Walkin May2017_Layout 1 5/28/17 5:45 PM Page 1<br />
drilled small holes in <strong>the</strong>ir centres and threaded a piece<br />
<strong>of</strong> lea<strong>the</strong>r thong through <strong>the</strong>m, knotting it between each<br />
one. The finished piece was gorgeous, exotic, primitive,<br />
and my artistic delight. I loved wearing it.<br />
A few months later, as part <strong>of</strong> a conference on gardening<br />
in <strong>the</strong> tropics, a group <strong>of</strong> us visited a museum in <strong>the</strong><br />
Dominican Republic. Under one <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> glass cases <strong>of</strong> early<br />
man, I could hardly believe what my eyes were seeing. A<br />
necklace composed <strong>of</strong> shark vertebrae—from <strong>the</strong> 13th<br />
century! I felt an immediate kinship with <strong>the</strong> woman who<br />
imagined, designed and wore that necklace. In that startling<br />
moment, I met up with my original native self who<br />
wanted to adorn my body just as she did. I met a sister<br />
. . . who had lived, imagined, died and left beauty behind.<br />
You never know where <strong>the</strong> transformational processes<br />
<strong>of</strong> a compost pile will take you. Just as <strong>the</strong> shark’s flesh<br />
provided nourishment for my body, and its vertebrae provided<br />
artistic wonderment for my soul, so too your stories<br />
can provide soul food for generations to come. Imagine a<br />
descendant a few hundred years from now saying, “And<br />
to think she wrote this in <strong>the</strong> <strong>21</strong>st century!” a<br />
Diane Taylor teaches memoir writing and has published<br />
The Gift <strong>of</strong> Memoir: Show Up, Open Up, Write. She is part<br />
<strong>of</strong> Spirit <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Hills Writers. For more information, visit<br />
https://dianemtaylor.com.<br />
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<strong>Times</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>Islands</strong> <strong>Winter</strong> <strong>2020</strong>-<strong>21</strong> 13