I can explain the crabby haiku, really I can. I’ve been thinking about all the trees that have fallen, thinking about the light that will be let in as a result of those trees being down, and feeling a little guilty for not being grateful for the sunshine.
And I’ve been thinking about myself, and how pleased I am to see these shadow portraits of myself, how that is just enough of me to be revealed, and how afraid I am of allowing myself to be clearly seen.
I’ve been thinking about how things of beauty can be hidden behind crusty and hardened exteriors, and you can never even know it.
I’ve been thinking how it feels to be busted wide open, to have a hidden beauty exposed in such a violent way.
I’ve been thinking about the beauty that sometimes comes from the storms we weather.
I’ve been thinking of the need to be grateful, both in sunshine and in shadow.
beautiful post and beautiful photos.
ReplyDeletesorry for your loss. I really am. wish I could say and do more but just send you a hug from wet, grey, dark and Finland - where the trees are in tact, but we fail to notice them because the dark is too much right now.
come back snow!!!
and the light. I love the light
PS Anni what's the story behind your door???
shadow portraits - I can identify with that.
ReplyDeleteprofundity abounds in this post, Annie.
you rock.
I like, I like, I like!
ReplyDeleteLove this post and the photos.
The cross-section looks like a four-leaf clover. Are you going to keep a bit of it? Or a lot? Or none at all?
A beautiful post, ma'am. Just a thought which you bring to mind. I read once that any tree, EVERY tree you've ever seen...is about 99% dead. Think about it. The only "life" in the tree is a thin layer just beneath the bark that takes all the nutrients taken in by the roots from the soil...up the trunk to produce its foliage and fruit. In fact, the rest of the tree is dead wood, marked by each a new ring each year coming out from "dead center"....When I first read that, it seemed even as many of us who claim to be "alive".....I appreciate your ability to look toward the light. Peace..........
ReplyDeleteAnnie, this is beautiful!
ReplyDeleteAnnie, you are an artiste' extraordinare! So beautifully put and the photos are once again, beautiful. I think it's curious when we see ourselves in the shadows. Love the Cypress stumps....I have cypress here too, down in my "hollar" as I call it......
ReplyDeleteLorna Thanks. I never thought of snow as bringing light, though it is perfectly logical that it does. Of course, I have not seen snow since 1989, and then it was only an inch or so thick!
ReplyDeleteThis door is from my grandparents' house. This particular photo was another way of revealing "just enough" of me.
Captainwow I guess we can agree that profundity is a good thing...as long as it doesn't get too deep!
Spookyrach Yes, this piece is mine, but it has already cracked and may break. I'll probably get another to take its place.
My mother is keeping a stack of the slices to use in her yard. I still have another tree in the back that will have to be cut, I may save the pieces to use in my yard.
Jim I have never heard that about trees and immediately identified with the feeling of having a very thin layer of life. I suppose it is one of the odd quirks of my personality that I can write eloquently of light when I am in dark places. Anyway, I will certainly thinking about the tree and the condition of my spiritual "innards".
Linda Thank you. I wish I could do with watercolors what you can do. These photos might be fun to try and paint.
Ayekah Thank you. We have beautiful cypress trees here, but they are in the swamps. These are cedar trees. I looked them both up, but did not see anything that indicated they were from the same family. But they must be since they look so similar.
I can't believe what I've missed while I've been ill and tending the ill and worrying about the ill. Such an explosion of creativity. Taken all at once it is really overwhelming. Get that agent. Your words and your pictures are unique. This needs a wider audience. What about a book of spiritual reflections and pictures "After the Storm." ???
ReplyDelete