Photography

Well, my daily poems continue. This one was inspired by the quote that goes with this poem and a talk I had with my sister this afternoon. As I've stated earlier, I don't really have time to edit well these poems so there's a lot more that I can do with these poems I'm sure, but I thought this initial draft was fun so I'm posting it. Hope you enjoy it too!

Photography

            "I had been able to realize a desired image:

            not the way the subject appeared in reality

            but how it felt to me and how it must appear

            in the finished print" – Ansel Adams

I imagine fixing the tripod to the steady spot,

pointing the lens towards the desired

direction, this time a waterfall near the end

of day, the moment many people forget

happens at all, much like most art, lost

in that moment without a way to capture

the truth of the emotion. I imagine placing

glass plates, color filters in key corners

to block glare or to remove a feeling

that wasn’t there. Angles shifting with precision;

distance being important; vision preceding

the snap of the shutter, nothing is careless 

to the art. Back then, photographers knew

they had to be careful: limited film, materials,

all the tricks of the trade appeared as difficult

as they actually are. It can't be faked by playing

around later; either you know the waterfall breathes

as you do, standing at the edge of the world

watching mountain teeth swallow the sun

and the lungs of the waterfall slow their pulse

in awe, trees burning white, the world only black

and white without colors to distract us from

the way it must appear for us to understand.