10/30
Shakespeare’s measured love
Kubrik’s fractured time
Photography’s micro-moments
Nature’s meditative breath
Animal’s magical simplicity
Book’s escape plan
Quiet’s unspoken pain
Legacy’s abandonment core
Love’s imperceptible gaze
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
9/30
“you never know,”
i say to my nephew
about ghosts, raptors, and kings.
“you never know,”
i say to myself
about almosts, chapters, and wings.
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
8/30
if the sun shines
just right
can you see through
my words?
if my words resonate
just right
can you reach into
my pain?
if my pain heals
just right
can you truly see
my love?
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
with picking out bright yellow sunflowers from Trader Joe’s and hoping my eyes aren’t still puffy from crying myself to sleep last night
with wearing my expensive Dior lip gloss 026, intense mauve shimmer, because it makes me feel fancy
with drinking water from the turtle cup with the metal straw, the one my best friend made for me, because it makes everything taste better
with seeing the text I sent my dad about my feelings was read on Sunday but he’s still not responded, and deciding not to send another one
with wearing the colorful flower dress my four-year-old nephew said was his favorite because it makes me look like a garden
with playing the absolute stupidest game ever on the Nintendo Wii with the teens, drinking Grimace’s birthday shakes, and laughing so hard I remember kegel exercises are important
with waking up early to water outside and saying hi to three bumblebees and one hummingbird who lingered close enough I could see how incredible their wings are
with moving my watermelon plant to another part of the yard because it’s getting choked out by the enormous pumpkin leaves and wanting it to have a chance to survive
with watching all 10 episodes of Drag Me to Dinner with my daughter and wanting to hug every LGBTQ person on the planet and tell them they are loved
with having teary conversations with my teens about respect and communication knowing they will always have me and each other in their corner no matter what
with replacing the bowl of old candy on the counter with a bowl of fresh apples because I can’t make others love me the way I want to be loved, but I can eat healthier
with turning to words again and not worrying if they are good enough because that’s not the point and I can show up exactly how I am
7/30
My body feels heavy
Carrying ancient ancestral groves
Balanced upon my crown
Rooted within acrid soil.
My body feels heavy
Thickly bound bloody strings
Tautly held wounded anger
Attached within my chest.
My body wants light
Clear-cut forests laid bare
Tiny seedlings taking hold
Reaching out both directions.
My body wants light
Sharp scissors slice free
Snapping bright red strands
Allowing one liberated breath.
This ekphrastic poem was inspired by the sculpture above titled “Ancestor 1” by Aisha Harrison. It’s currently on display at the Crocker Art Museum.
More short poems:
1/30: not my cat
2/30: comfort
3/30: ache
4/30: remember
5/30: graduation
6/30: big love
6/30
what if my family was big
enough to fill the movie theater?
would i grow weary of so many
arms hugging me? so many pies to eat?
or would I finally be full?
More short poems:
1/30: not my cat
2/30: comfort
3/30: ache
4/30: remember
5/30: graduation
“Stories, like people and butterflies and songbirds’ eggs and human hearts and dreams, are also fragile things, made up of nothing stronger or more lasting than twenty-six letters and a handful of punctuation marks. Or they are words on the air, composed of sounds and ideas-abstract, invisible, gone once they’ve been spoken-and what could be more frail than that?” —Neil Gaiman
This week my assignment for the 52 photo challenge was to play with the idea of abstract photography. It was defined for me as photos that look unrealistic or unrecognizable. The goal is for the photos to look more like paintings or artwork than a photograph.
My photos this week are from two different locations. The top image and the first seven photos are from William Land Park, including the Sacramento Zoo. The final three images are from a Melanie Martinez concert I attended with my daughter last Wednesday. I edited these photos using the same presets to give the set a cohesive feel. Let me know if you have a favorite.
Thanks, as always, for your support. Life continues to be busy and I’m falling further and further behind in all things, but I remain hopeful and optimistic.
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
“Some people talk to animals. Not many listen though. That’s the problem.”
—A.A. Milne
I went to the Sacramento Zoo by myself this week. It was a cool day and many of the animals weren’t outside, but I really enjoyed my own company and being able to spend as much time as I liked at each spot.
As it turns out, the last time I photographed the zoo was one year ago. It was fun to look back on those images to see if my photography skills have improved. Let me know what you think and have a wonderful day!
“A garden to walk in and immensity to dream in–what more could he ask? A few flowers at his feet and above him the stars.”—Victor Hugo
Happy Saturday! Here are some shots I took earlier this week at William Land Park. I went to photograph the lotus flowers, but they weren’t blooming due to overcast and rain. I shifted my focus to other plants and visited the Sacramento Zoo. I’ll post some animal photos later.
It was nice spending some time alone and remembering I actually like my own company. Let me know if you have a favorite photo and have a wonderful weekend.
5/30
the moon, the stars and me
watched you walk proudly
across the stage. we smiled
knowing the truth. love
doesn’t recognize such things
as endings or beginnings. only
connection and connection. love
isn’t contingent or feeble.
it doesn’t come with strings
or weights. free and full—
vast as the infinite universe.
i’m forever here for you.
More short poems:
1/30: not my cat
2/30: comfort
3/30: ache
4/30: remember
Bridgette Tales 