The pickup passes
Flicking a long tail of dust
Which prairie winds
Spread like golden icing
Across a latent landscape
Under sunset sky
Farmland is always a realm
Of hope and promise
And possibility
While also of heartbreak
And tragedy and ruin
As is any venture reliant
On the whims of nature
A single storm defines
The outcome of an entire season
For good or ill
Is saviour or saboteur
Or, as here, in Empress
No storm comes at all
And the glory of a golden-hour transformation
Only masks the calamity of dust
Dust Borne on the Prairie Wind
Empress
Alberta, Canada
Taken during travels, 2023
Patrick reads Dust
Pic and a Word Challenge
Last time we welcomed the Calm.
This time let’s whisk away the Dust. Or seek something else to inspire you in this photograph of dust borne on the prairie wind at golden hour in Empress, Alberta, Canada.
The Pic and a Word Challenge is a (usually) weekly creativity prompt (usually) offered Mondays.
With each challenge I provide a photograph of mine along with a single word. The challenge? Use the pic and/or word as inspiration to create something — a photograph, a painting, video, prose, poetry, fiction, non-fiction, longread or just a few words. You are welcome to use these two elements (photograph and word) literally, thematically or metaphorically. If you create both images and words, all the better.
To participate:
- Use any title you like
- Your response can be words and/or images
- You may use my image to illustrate your post, or any images you have created
- Mention that you are responding to the Pic and a Word Challenge
- Add a link to this post in your response
To help us find your response — whether on WordPress, Instagram, Flicker, Tumblr, etc. — you can also:
- Add a comment on this post to announce your response
- Apply the tag/hashtag “Pic and a Word Challenge” or “#picandawordchallenge” to your post
Each week, I’ll list the previous challenge’s responses at the end of the new challenge. I may also share some on my social media: Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Tumblr, etc.
The previous challenge was: Calm
The word for last time’s Pic and a Word Challenge #348 was Calm, along with this photograph of a power boat cruising past Pukaskwa National Park in Ontario, Canada.
Four bloggers found their Calm this time. Thanks, everyone! ❤ 🙂
- Calm, by WoollyMuses
- Calm, by Frost on the Moose Dung
- Calm, by LadyLeeManila
- Serenity in Motion, by Mellow Curmudgeon
View all the Pic and a Word Challenges, including the current challenge, on the Pic and a Word Challenge tag page.
Happy Creating! ❤