Kum

The following text is plagiarism, a quote, a small variation, a permutated text, a newly formed combination of one work. It was said that I had to write this. But for a 20 year old 8th copy of a copy, with a few added decorations, is it really necessary? Or do we have to write this, so nobody can say that I copied the copy or the copy of the copy… Safe and predictive, probably both, copied plagiarism is the best term, I think.

 

 

At the beginning, they say, there was nothing 
Everything is new, unthought-of, unslept, kept quiet. The images of Kum: one from the cream-like clouds, next from the tower standing at the church. From Neža till Triglav, she from the top of the transmitter, weird and economical all the way to the Slovene patch border, let’s say to the Croatian neighboring smaller patch; her into the Kras soil and some patches of grass – everything is in abundancy, be it they come from the thoughts, from wisdom, love or just from childish happiness for beauty and freedom.

 

 

Record 1
Kum, my friend and helper always stands at my side, wherever I am and wherever I go, it shows me where my home is: from Ljubljana I can see it on the bridge leading across the Sava River, from Zagreb I can see it just a bit after Krško, from Maribor, after I crossed the second tunnel, from Kočevje just a bit before Dvor… The spring snowflakes bloomed this year and are no more, Mr. academic Matjaž Kmecl. Now, wild garlic grows, whole fields, whole plains, all of Kum is cowered in blooming wild garlic. Aromatherapy. 

 

 

Record 2
A few years ago, Ciril came to visit me, the Mayor of Dobovec, now he is in a retirement home, in Litija apparently, smiling, friendly, hear-warming, Kum-like. With a glass of Kum bitters. I didn’t want to drink it, but the gesture of it, for the smile and the playful words after. Then, I met Janez, Crni and Poki, who stayed young in their hearts and whit whom we walked all across to Nebeška gora, into the Škrlatova dolina, on Kozlova gora and left, so all of the grass blades and saplings of Kum can leave their trace in everybody’s heart. Years, days, hours.

 

 

Note 3
Yesterday, in a soft-falling nights sky, I drove to the top of Kranjčev travnik, so Kum could say a few more words to me, but it stood firmly with his black contours and blueish lines in the night and led me to my inner eyes, which saw the tall tower bathing amongst the stars, in midst of the churches 2 smaller towers; it gave me the image of the Dolenjska hillsides gracefulness and a yearning for the side yet not seen.

 

 

Copying of the copy
Most secrets. 3.14159265359 from Contact, written by Carl Sagan. One and the same. Why is the ring around Kum the same horizon than around Matterhorn and why do we, looking at this horizon, feel so much better, we, who have our home here and all around, than around other beautiful tops of this world. Why are the stars so far away, and why are we right here and right now, why do we experience fear and suffering, why do I feel so at ease when on Kum, why am I so consistent with the people and the world right here, and nowhere else.

 

 

MADE-UP QUOTE
The beauty lying in Kum discloses the feeling of freedom. (F. Shiller)

 

RECITAL: Kum is not ours, we are “Kumans”.

* “Kuminity” is a word, which, semantically increases in meaning, but foremost meaning the love towards the landscape Kum, the people living around it, spreading to the Dolenjska and Zasavska side; it is not only meant as an origin (for most people that is not the case), but it means living in harmony, so everybody can be a Kuman, even you, or her, or even me.