Over barbwire and corn
And I remember a bus driver
On the long way around
During spring semester
All our windows closed
His open wide while he
Takes deep nasal breaths
“Ahhh!”
He theatrically intones
Before another whistling breath
“Smell that fresh air!”
Musky dung beyond barbwire
Making us gag
As we pass his home
In a small development
Surrounded by farmer’s fields
“Mr. Abbott!” sang the chorus
School is out
Family homeward bound
Severed corn stalks and barbwire
“Sweet corn!” reads the sign
I sniff the musky sweet husks
Pulled aside to bare the fruit
Checking kernels for compatibility
With lobsters and steamers
Paper bagged in the trunk
All destined for melted butter
And a picnic table on the deck
In the sultry New England summer
Digitally Manipulated Photograph
Athabasca Glacier
Columbia Icefields
Jasper National Park
Alberta, Canada
Taken during travels, 2017
Can you see in the image above what the first couplet in this poem sees?
Athabasca Glacier
Jasper National Park
I sometimes take photographs I never intend to print as photographs. I’m looking for patterns, tones, textures, which I can then digitally manipulate into something… interesting. The result is usually abstract, colourful and is often ripe with inspiration for words. This is the third in a series of works derived from shots of scoured granite at the Athabasca Glacier in Jasper National Park. There’s also the Lichen Series, manipulated photographs of lichen-encrusted rocks at the Hope Slide near Manning Park, British Columbia, and the Sanding Series derived from photographs of paint layers revealed while sanding a boat hull.
I categorize these as Abstract, a pretty broad category in my work as I enjoy abstracting the world in images, even without digital manipulation. There are enough now, I’ll add a Digital Manipulation category.
Pix to Words 