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poetry: how I don’t do mathematics

I thought about that beautiful equation.

I thought about all the minds behind that equation.

about all the love inside that equation.   all the hope.

I had a poem come to me in the shower.   it was wet.

I recited it to myself.   don’t stop, don’t stop.

many a poem lost in the palm of my hand.
 
 
is this what gravity feels like?   recite.

is this what magnets do?   recite.

is this what connection is?   recite.
 
 
ahh there, paper and a pen.

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poetry: lines


15/30

you watch the sunset
paint an orange stripe
on the horizon.
you imagine time 
being circular
because you/me miss
beginnings and firsts.
you are wrong. liquid
time ripples. see how
the dragonflies dance?
see how hands reach out
for each other? time
tastes like honey, smells
like pollen, sounds like
shooting stars. meet me
in the waves, darling.
i want to swim you.

More short poems:
1/30: not my cat
2/30: comfort
3/30: ache
4/30: remember
5/30: graduation
6/30: big love
7/30: Heavy and light
8/30: delicate
9/30: leaping
10/30: Dad gave me…
11/30: solstice
12/30: twisted
13/30: starving
14/30: open up

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52 Photo Challenge: Week 31-Big Sky

“The empty blue sky of space says ‘All this comes back to me, then goes again, and comes back again, then goes again, and I don’t care, it still belongs to me.”
—Jack Kerouac 

This week my assignment for the 52 photo challenge was to capture a big sky, not an easy task in the middle of a heat wave. Knowing the sky was devoid of clouds, I took a drive at sunset in search of vibrant color instead. The sky and sun did not disappoint. After dodging fireflies and mosquitoes, I then drove to my local park to get some city shots.

Not all these photos showcase the sky, but I wanted to give you some variety to look at. Let me know what you think and have a wonderful week.

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*The pond at night. I’m quite fond of the distorted reflections in this one.
  • Photos were taken with an Olympus OM-D and edited with ON1 Photo RAW
  • If you want to join the 52 Photo Challenge, you can find all the information at nicolesy.com

52 Photo Challenge
Week 1: Bokeh
Week 2: Silhouette
Week 3: Black and White
Week 4: Motion Blur
Week 5: Texture
Week 6: Framing
Week 7: Leading Lines
Week 8: Negative Space
Week 9: Patterns
Week 10: Symmetry
Week 11: Green
Week 12: Sidelight
Week 13: Sense of Scale
Week 14: One Lens
Week 15: Series
Week 16: Flat Lay
Week 17: Behind the Scenes
Week 18: Water
Week 19: Blurry Foreground
Week 20: Unique Perspective
Week 21: Shadow
Week 22: Food
Week 23: Abstract
Week 24: Reflection
Week 25: Contrast Color
Week 26: Think in Threes
Week 27: Starburst
Week 28: Low Perspective
Week 29: Macro
Week 30: Backlight

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poetry: wander

sometimes i let the neighbor cat 
inside to wander my things. tail
held high he weaves through rooms, king
of the castle, purring. today
he finds grandmother’s wood hope chest
with the carved letter K, for Kate. “what’s
this?” he asks rubbing against my
bare legs. “let me show you,” i say
lifting him from the lid. her smell
is gone, but her things remain, tucked
inside mine. old and older. dear
grandmother and granddaughter. here.
gently i pull out a dark blue
handkerchief, tracing the small K. “see?”
we walk into the backyard, cat
at my heels, and place it upon 
the bright flowers. she loves being
outside. sunlight warms my skin. twice.

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Photography: California State Fair

“I lоst my hеаrt аt thе fаirgrоund
Tо thе bоy оn thе swing mасhinе
Hе stоlе my lоvе sо соmplеtеly
If оnly I соuld hаvе sееn.”
—Glenda Collins

Yesterday I shared some photos from the California State Fair which featured backlighting. Today I’m offering up some more photos for you to enjoy. I hope these bring a smile to your face and perhaps spark a memory of young love, riding the slides, or simply the taste of something sweet. Let me know if you have a favorite.

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  • Photos were taken with an Olympus OM-D and edited with ON1 Photo RAW
  • If you want to join the 52 Photo Challenge, you can find all the information at nicolesy.com
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52 Photo Challenge: Week 30-Backlight

“I wonder if his hair is darker than usual or if angels have just started following him around with dramatic backlighting.”—R.S. Grey, The Beau & the Belle

This week my assignment for the 52 photo challenge was backlight. From what I understand, this is similar to silhouette, but you can still see a lot of detail in the subject.

As I was taking my daughter and her best friend to the California State Fair, I decided to do this assignment there. It proved to be only mildly successful, but it was interesting walking around a place that holds such fond memories with only my camera for company.

Let me know which photo best fits the assignment and if you have a favorite. Be on the lookout for more fair photos tomorrow. Hope you have a fantastic week!

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#10. This last one probably doesn’t fit the assignment, but I included it anyway. Would have been wonderful for week 21.

  • Photos were taken with an Olympus OM-D and edited with ON1 Photo RAW
  • If you want to join the 52 Photo Challenge, you can find all the information at nicolesy.com

52 Photo Challenge
Week 1: Bokeh
Week 2: Silhouette
Week 3: Black and White
Week 4: Motion Blur
Week 5: Texture
Week 6: Framing
Week 7: Leading Lines
Week 8: Negative Space
Week 9: Patterns
Week 10: Symmetry
Week 11: Green
Week 12: Sidelight
Week 13: Sense of Scale
Week 14: One Lens
Week 15: Series
Week 16: Flat Lay
Week 17: Behind the Scenes
Week 18: Water
Week 19: Blurry Foreground
Week 20: Unique Perspective
Week 21: Shadow
Week 22: Food
Week 23: Abstract
Week 24: Reflection
Week 25: Contrast Color
Week 26: Think in Threes
Week 27: Starburst
Week 28: Low Perspective
Week 29: Macro

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poetry: town

nobody cried when sweet smoke
arrived. we soot danced, our eyes
half-open, bodies ash-drunk
on sugar promises plucked
endlessly on old guitar

strings. winding streets slowly filled
with smoke, siren calling hearts
to believe not our choking
breath, but it. singing praises
like honey symphonies, words

of control. hushing words. lies
laying beneath. it quick burns
papery thin childlike-hope 
into dying embers. we 
believe it all until you 

speak. standing atop stacked rocks
bright hair blowing, tender eyes
locked on us, you say “listen
to the wind.” we do. it bends
flowers, stops dragonflies, sings

towns alive. go—sweep floors, hug 
trees, wipe ash from foreheads,
clean water, move air. listen
to stone, earth, plant. grab my hand
tight. don’t ever let me go.

Note: Is this poem inspired by Barbenheimer? Perhaps. Perhaps. Perhaps.

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52 Photo Challenge: Week 29-Macro

“The skies and land are so enormous, and the detail so precise and exquisite that wherever you are you are isolated in a glowing world between the macro and the micro, where everything is sidewise under you and over you, and the clocks stopped long ago.”—Ansel Adams

This week my assignment for the 52 photo challenge was macro photography. The idea is to showcase a subject larger than it is in real life—an extreme close-up. These are my favorite types of photos and I was excited to spend some time looking for things to zoom in on.

I spent the morning at Folsom Lake with the dragonflies and then finished up with a few shots in my backyard. I alternated between my macro lens and my 14-150mm lens. Let me know which shot you like best and have a fantastic week!

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Bonus lake photo:

  • Photos were taken with an Olympus OM-D and edited with ON1 Photo RAW
  • If you want to join the 52 Photo Challenge, you can find all the information at nicolesy.com

52 Photo Challenge
Week 1: Bokeh
Week 2: Silhouette
Week 3: Black and White
Week 4: Motion Blur
Week 5: Texture
Week 6: Framing
Week 7: Leading Lines
Week 8: Negative Space
Week 9: Patterns
Week 10: Symmetry
Week 11: Green
Week 12: Sidelight
Week 13: Sense of Scale
Week 14: One Lens
Week 15: Series
Week 16: Flat Lay
Week 17: Behind the Scenes
Week 18: Water
Week 19: Blurry Foreground
Week 20: Unique Perspective
Week 21: Shadow
Week 22: Food
Week 23: Abstract
Week 24: Reflection
Week 25: Contrast Color
Week 26: Think in Threes
Week 27: Starburst
Week 28: Low Perspective

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poetry: open up

14/30

like music i float
trumpet blast, spinning pines
swaying butterfly free

like music i press
rhythm bound, broken sticks
unwinding spooled rage

like music i turn
plucked strings, wide hips
dirty feet step

like music i open
staccato heart, lifting notes
double-time truth

Note: The photo was taken while dancing under the pines at WorldFest and the words were inspired by the sounds of a jazz quartet.

More short poems:
1/30: not my cat
2/30: comfort
3/30: ache
4/30: remember
5/30: graduation
6/30: big love
7/30: Heavy and light
8/30: delicate
9/30: leaping
10/30: Dad gave me…
11/30: solstice
12/30: twisted
13/30: starving

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52 Photo Challenge: Week 28-Low Perspective

“If you look the right way, you can see that the whole world is a garden.”
—Frances Hodgson Burnett, The Secret Garden

This week my assignment for the 52 photo challenge was to explore low perspective. I had intended to find interesting shots at WorldFest this weekend, but they changed their policy and I wasn’t allowed to bring my camera in. This turned out to be a blessing, which I will write about later this week, but it meant my challenge photos had to wait until this morning.

Most of these shots are from my yard a little after sunrise. While these photos are somewhat similar to the ones I took in Week 20 for Unique Perspective, I hope you will find something new to enjoy here. Let me know if you have a favorite and have a fantastic week.

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After looking down for so long, I had to look up. The darkness on the right makes it look a bit like the view of Earth from space.

  • Photos were taken with an Olympus OM-D and edited with ON1 Photo RAW
  • If you want to join the 52 Photo Challenge, you can find all the information at nicolesy.com

52 Photo Challenge
Week 1: Bokeh
Week 2: Silhouette
Week 3: Black and White
Week 4: Motion Blur
Week 5: Texture
Week 6: Framing
Week 7: Leading Lines
Week 8: Negative Space
Week 9: Patterns
Week 10: Symmetry
Week 11: Green
Week 12: Sidelight
Week 13: Sense of Scale
Week 14: One Lens
Week 15: Series
Week 16: Flat Lay
Week 17: Behind the Scenes
Week 18: Water
Week 19: Blurry Foreground
Week 20: Unique Perspective
Week 21: Shadow
Week 22: Food
Week 23: Abstract
Week 24: Reflection
Week 25: Contrast Color
Week 26: Think in Threes
Week 27: Starburst