Thought for the day: Photography takes an instant out of time, altering life by holding it still. [Dorothea Lange]
Photography is a way of feeling, of touching, of loving. What you have caught on film is captured forever... it remembers little things, long after you have forgotten everything. [Aaron Siskind]
And what can be captured on film (or digitally) can also capture the imagination. Can make you wonder about what you see in that picture, what came before, and what happened afterwards. That's why pictures make such excellent writing prompts.
The talented Delores of thefeatherednest has been providing weekly photo writing prompts for the past twenty weeks, and it's been fun to see the pictures she and others have offered for consideration, and to read the various posts inspired by those pictures. Alas, this week's prompts are the last until next spring, so I figured I'd play along for this last round. Better late than never, eh?
Delores offered four different pictures for this last round. Here's the one I chose:
And here's where that picture led me:
Kilroy was here.
Frightened,
Hopeful,
Filled with bravado,
I left my mark,
Proving to posterity
That I was there.
Look.
Do you see it?
Do you remember me?
I was there.
And then...
Blown away
By the uncaring winds of time...
I was gone.
Footprints in the sand.
Running,
Playing,
Filled with life,
I left my mark,
Proving to posterity
That I was there.
Look.
Do you see them?
Do you remember me?
I was there.
And then...
Washed away
By the uncaring waves of time...
I was gone.
Bootprints in the snow.
Crunching,
Sliding,
Chilled with cold,
I left my mark,
Proving to posterity
That I was there.
Look.
Do you see them?
Do you remember me?
I was there.
And then...
Melted away
By the uncaring suns of time...
I was gone.
Do you remember me?
Does anybody care?
I was there.
Oh yes,
Once upon a time...
I was there.
 |
| I WAS THERE. |
Thanks, Delores. That was fun. (In a melancholy sorta way. HA!)
Until next time, take care of yourselves. And each other.
Leaving one's mark suddenly becomes important, doesn't it. What point would there be to the whole adventure if there was no proof!
ReplyDeleteThe marks that others leave can be an ispiration to us all.
ReplyDeleteThanks for an inspiring post.....
Let's call it a typo.
ReplyDeleteI MEANT to say "inspiration".
Bootprints in the snow.
ReplyDeleteSouth Carolina did not get much snow when I was a kid and even less now but the one time we had a very "bad" snow storm in 1972 I saw a set of boot prints leading away from my house one morning.
Something in my young mind found them spooky and ominous. Even now when I see pictures like yours a cold chill goes up spine.
Gosh, Sus. I'm not sure what to say except that you have me all subdued and contemplative, now.
ReplyDelete(Not that I needed subduing so early in the morning ...)
I'm glad you're participating in this. I really liked this entry.
Even though we are all but a grain of sand in this universe, we all make our mark, we all change something or somebody, we are all a footprint of time.
ReplyDeleteI just loved what you wrote.
Brava! Lovely. :)
ReplyDeleteLoved the composition of this and the melancholy-ness of sentiment. I'm going to walk over wet concrete in future...
ReplyDeleteI love that! Beautiful writing; great photo. There's a million stories in that photo too.
ReplyDeleteCro- Yes, you're right. I think it's a byproduct of aging. But we have our grandchildren, Cro. They look a little like us, act a little like us, and will carry a little bit of us into the future.
ReplyDeleteJon- Glad ya liked it. (What's a little typo between friends?)
Beach Bum- Yeah, I see something a little ominous about telltale footprints outside a house, too. In fact, I almost wrote something along those lines, and then changed my mind. We don't get much in the way of snow here in GA either, but the snow shovel we brought down from MD in '71 is still rusting away under the house. (Kinda like hanging onto baby clothes as a little added "insurance"...)
Suze- Glad ya liked it, kiddo. Contemplative is good. For the subdued part, maybe a cup of coffee?
Arleen- Thank you. I'm glad you liked it, and understood what I was trying to express.
Linda- Thank you, ma'am.
CarrieBoo- Ooooh, what a great idea!
Liz- Delores selected some super shots for the photo prompts, but this one was one of my favorites. Like you say, there's a million stories in it.
I love the photo. Though I makes me wistful--I really miss the New England snows. Maybe we'll get some this year in Chatt.
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful piece of poetry. Lovely indeed.
ReplyDeleteOn another note, I just finished putting all the Monster's pictures in albums (after 4 years in a box.) Cry, did I cry looking at them all.
A picture is worth a thousand words.
Wow, this gave me goosebumps. Wonderful work!
ReplyDeleteI thought of you yesterday because I suddenly realized the car in front of me had an "amateur radio" license plate. I yelled out, "Susan!" in my car LOL. Since I was alone in the car the people next to me surely thought I was bonkers. :D
Connie- It might be nice to "visit" the snow somewhere for a weekend getaway, but I can't say that I miss living in an area where all you see is snow and ice for weeks and weeks on end. (Don't miss shoveling it, either!) But if you want it, I hope you have as much snow as your little heart desires this winter.
ReplyDeleteAnne- Thank you ma'am. Glad you liked it. Yes, pictures have a way of tearing at the ol' heartstrings, don't they? There's a collage of old pictures hanging on my office wall, taken fifty and sixty years plus ago. One look at them, and I'm in my childhood again.
Julie- Thanks! And thanks for thinking of me when you saw an amateur radio tag, too. That is soooo cool!
Hummm. It would appear, since there are only one set of footprints, that you are still here. Or maybe, that you are still gone. A conundrum.
ReplyDeleteWow, very cool. Yes, a little melancholy but very beautiful and thoughtful too. :-)
ReplyDeleteLovely.
ReplyDeleteA bit more introspective than your usual posts!
Mr. C- Yeah, I don't know what it is, but every time I turn around... there I am!
ReplyDeleteJennifer- Glad ya liked it.
Gots to leave your mark....good work.
ReplyDeleteVery nice, and I like how you repeated it three times for balance. Omne trium perfectum!!
ReplyDeleteYour lovely poem demonstrates that we can't predict where the influence of footprints end --even in snow. Nicely done, Susan.
ReplyDeleteAl- Thanks. Scary, huh? Not a single fart joke.
ReplyDeleteDelores- Thank you, dear lady. And thanks for posting such an interesting picture. (I'm sorry I didn't participate sooner.)
L.G.- Yes, ma'am. The power of threes.
Geo- We rarely know. Glad ya liked it.
That was fabulous! I'm sorry it has ended and I hope you will take up the challenge in the spring. I loved this. And I would like to try it sometime too -- a great way to keep your creative brain going. (Which at my age is really important.)
ReplyDeleteLovely! I don't think I've ever seen you post poetry before.
ReplyDeleteLove,
Janie
Hey Susan,
ReplyDeleteFinally, I have arrived. This is great and the lovely Delores and those photo writing prompts, certainly fire the imagination.
Personally, I just slap up a photo and then do my best to come up with some kind of caption.
Excellent and the footprints tell a story of what once was and maybe what might be.
The unbelievable part of this all is the fact I don't see any spider webs on the car mirror! :)
All the best to you.
Your starstruck fan, Gary
Leaving your mark is a very important part of life, the camera has a way of capturing life, giving you a reminder, and also sometimes showing you something you completely missed.
ReplyDeleteWell done my Friend.
Beautifully written Susan! You've definitely left your mark many times over. Julie
ReplyDeleteThat was lovely, Susan. Really moving.
ReplyDeleteInger- Thank you so much. Hopefully, Delores will get back to it again in May, and maybe we can both jump into it then.
ReplyDeleteJanie- Thanks. I've posted a few. A couple silly ones, and another when my mother-in-law died.
Gary- Well, it's about time you showed up, mister! I've been holding your seat... Coming up with photo captions is fun, too. Especially if they're funny, and with you, I'm pretty sure they would be. And very punny, too.
Jimmy- Tintypes and older photographs, especially the sepia ones, seem to capture and freeze a single moment in time better than modern photographs, for some reason. At least, they do to me. Thank you, dear sir.
Julie- Thank you. Sweet of you to say.
Rosalind- Thank you. I'm glad you liked it.
I'm feeling all contemplative now...
ReplyDeleteLynda- A little contemplation is good for the soul. (Or so I've heard...)
ReplyDelete