THE FRAGILE TREE - John Walker

Those who live life using only five senses, who dare to travel only where their legs will take them, will never dance in the brilliant light like John Walker. Bursting through the seemingly still surface of his poetry and children's stories, his silent voice was a siren's song.

Confined to a wheelchair all of his life, John Walker found a way to let the world know that to be betrayed by ones body was as freeing as it was limiting. Assisted by his sister Lesley and mother Jean, he created a unique language and developed remarkable extrasensory perception. Primarily mute, he communicated through his beloved music, weaving his poetry with feeling, spirit and intent, one phrase at a time. The result, a moving collection entitled A Fragile Tree Has Roots, was published by Proclaim Publications in 1982.

In his own words, "we should have no fear of misfortune if we can survive our chains". Accepting the limitations from his birth, John injected hope and introspection, never losing sight of the courage to dream. John Walker not only survived his chains - he transformed them into flight.

Appropriately, then, when asked if he would prefer a portrait in his chair or flying, John's eyes lit up in a victorious blaze of recognition. He often dreamt of flying. He wrote of flying. And so John Walker remains the only Arkangel portrayed aloft, reaching for the sun.

"Turn up the sky father,
listen father,
listen closely to me".

-- John Walker, A Fragile Tree Has Roots