ATGATT
All The Gear
All The Time
Helmet
Face shield
Gloves
Ankle high boots
Padded jacket
And pants
At home
By law
Helmet & eye protection
Here too
Helmet
At least
Eye protection
If travelling
Over 50km/hr
Compliance
In Jakarta
Sketchier than home
Even for children
But not for masks
Priorities
Can be
Confusing
Imaginary
Lines crossed in the car’s back seat
Dad arm from the front
I wonder if I’ve ever been
The subject of someone’s
Best photograph of the day
But never found out
Like this fellow here
On the third shot of eleven
Who never looked up
So never saw the camera
Pointed out the taxi window
Capturing this delightful moment
Colours and edges
Splashes and blur
Nothing to see
But for the eyes
A turn of a head
And just enough detail
This would be a discard
X’d out on a contact sheet
But for those eyes
Because now I want to know
What she sees
No matter the venue
Play always looks like play
In a place of otherness
I revel in the sameness
That is two girls taking selfies
On a sunny Sunday afternoon in the park
Accompanied by song and food, and laughter and play
In a public square
Filled with food, and music, and play
I scan for moments
A click here
A click there
Another and another
Every picture tells so many stories
Though some obscured
And some unfocussed
While others extend
Beyond the bounds of framing
And when I burrow in
Ever more intimate moments
To be found
Until…
I am caught
Moments in time
Suspended
Amplified
By the snap of a shutter
Held now in perpetuity
Captured
Gifted
To become
Moments for
Others
Pix to Words 