Category: Olympus OM-2

I am not thirsty

In the dry
I am not thirsty
In the heat
I am not too warm

In the sand
I dig in roots
In the sun
I bask in life

I spend some time
In a place like this
A place which strips away

Pretense
Distraction
Aggrandisement
Avarice

I find my presence
In the present

And in that presence
Is love

Nature draws lines in the sand
With exquisite finesse

Captured by their beauty
Mindful of their warning

Vermilion
Cerulean
Verdant

Poet’s words
For simple colours
Writ large
On an epic landscape

On a hot desert highway
No wind in the air
Half way across Xinjiang
I stop to photograph there

Loading up with a new roll
I click, advancing the film
The shot I take is of a shadow world
I’m astride my bike as if in another realm

On a cycling tour of China
Across that vast country
I took a sidelong glance
At becoming a celebrity

In every little town
On every major street
No matter where I went
All eyes fell on me

In a duel of longevity
Between stone and the living
I would never bet
On life not winning

Though life seems so
Ephemeral
While stone seems so
Well, eternal

I have only just begun
To plumb my own depths

How can I ask you
To understand me

Scattered remnants
Run down and undermined
On burnt red gravel

Reminds me
Of Saturday morning
After a long week of long days

Visiting magical places
Invites magical thinking