Category: Fujifilm X-T2

Poetry by Patrick Jennings
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In the Silence Between Waves, Pacific Rim National Park, Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada

Surf ~ Pic and a Word Challenge #337

I paddle out onto the calm sea
Despite the listless surf
Rather, no

Because of it

I love the thrill of catching a wave
The feel of the board cutting through the water
The acceleration as the curl builds

And, yes
Even the tumult
When the sea punishes me
For my errors

But I love too

The moments between waves
The calm quiet introspection
Gentle swells sway me
An ocean hammock in the breeze

Take a deep breath
And another
Feel my resting heart beat
In a state of peace

Here am I
Rapt in my own presence
In time with the rhythm
Of nature

Some days
I prefer these long deep breaths
Over the exhilaration
Of a racing heart

So I paddle out
Sit with my being for a while
Then paddle back in
At peace with the world

And myself

Continue reading Surf ~ Pic and a Word Challenge #337
Landscape by Patrick Jennings
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Shadow Selfie, U.S. Highway 50, Lincoln Highway, Loneliest Road in America, East of Eureka, Nevada, USA

Shadow Selfie

I have to admit there are an overabundance of road pics in my catalogue, photographs in which various streets, highways, byways and gravel tracks from my travels serve as the primary subject of a landscape. Mind you, I’m not apologizing for that.  We photograph and write about what we know and love, and I love few things more than being behind the wheel of a car (or pedaling a bicycle) through unknown country. Over 40+ years of driving and cycling I’ve amassed several hundreds of thousands of miles wheeling on just about every road surface imaginable.

Safe to say, I know roads.

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Poetry by Patrick Jennings
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Hours Before the Dawn, Bridger Bay, Antelope State Park, Utah, United States of America

Hours Before the Dawn, the Sun Rises

Sky and lake
Rippled with moonlight
Clouds a veil
Drawn over coy constellations

On the shore
She stands
In a susurrus of near silence
But for the lap of wavelets
On salt crusted sand

Intent on the texts
Passed between friends
“I am free” she writes
“Good” comes the reply
A pause, and then, “Be safe!”
“I will” she taps out
Adds “I don’t know how long
I’ll be AWOL”
A long wait before
“Your leave is authorized” and
“Take all the time you need”
“I will” she repeats

She smiles
Throws the phone into the lake
Where concentric ripples
Interrupt the linear
Gradually diminishing
Until they disappear altogether

She stands a good while longer
Content
Relieved
If a little anxious
About what the coming daylight will bring
Then shrugs it off

“Fuck him”

Hours before the dawn
The darkness has already ended

Continue reading Hours Before the Dawn, the Sun Rises
Poetry by Patrick Jennings
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God's House, Cathedral of the Madeleine, Salt Lake City, Utah, United States of America

One of Many Paths to Goodness

Raised beneath
Steeples and spires
Kneeling Sitting Standing
In pews row on row

First Holy Communion
Confirmation
Confession
Ash Wednesday
Palm Sunday
Incense and palm leaves
Midnight Mass

Now another confession:
Never a believer
Earliest memories
Saying what was expected
Doing what was expected
Praying aloud the lie on my lips

Though there were Pastors
Two at least
Who made as much
A philosophy of sermon
As theology
Who bespoke love
And compassion
Forgiveness
And kindness
As if these were as important
As believing in Father, Son and Holy Ghost

I kept the compassionate love
Discarded the trinity
And for a long while
Wanted nothing to do
With religion
Or the religious

Until I finally saw
The strength faith gives my mother
Courage, resilience, tenacity
Powered by compassion, love and kindness
All in God’s name

Now I understand
Something about the nature of goodness
And the many paths we may travel
To bring ourselves to the love
Which is its foundation

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Poetry by Patrick Jennings
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Sunrise Over Valley of the Gods, From Moki Dugway, Cedar Mesa, Utah, United States of America

Sunrise Sojourn

I wake
Into darkness
Scramble out of the tent
Enough time to boil water

Coffee
Cereal
Almond milk

The breakfast of
Car camping
Photographers

Pre-dawn
On the horizon
Time to go

Camera bag
Tripod
Fresh brew in the travel mug

On the way
Not far from the campground
Dawn demands a stop
Unexpected glory
In a few hurried frames

Then to the switchbacks
Moki Dugway
Rising twelve hundred feet
Straight up Cedar Mesa

From the top
With the wide zoom
And the fisheye
Then, this one here
On the middle zoom
Expected glory

Deep sigh of success
And anticipation
For the work which takes
A latent image of RAW bits
To the finished photograph
Here

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