Monday, October 13, 2014

Blink of an Eye

Self-portrait, Vivian Maier





Every man is his own ancestor, and every man his own heir. He devises his own future, and he inherits his own past. ~H.F. Hedge


 
It is in the moment of the click and flash
as I focus on what's before me
that the past flashes before my eyes
all memories exposed like film
and I zoom in and click
over and over again
at shutter speed
hoping
for a better
picture than the one before
yet it is so easy to blink
and capture myself
again with my eyes closed.



The future is a dark room where the film has not developed yet.  All the photographs that we took in the past are in progress waiting to become clear.  Only we can develop the negatives.  For our lives are a photograph that both leaves traces of our passage, and leads to our destination.


20 comments:

  1. sweet thoughtful piece !

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  2. A profound though, our present is filled with our past, and forms our future... As Sandra said, a thoughttul piece.

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  3. Wonderful piece, Carrie - the lines, contemplative and transcendent.

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  4. I like the mention of "exposure" in this nice poem

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  5. I love how you wrapped cameras and reflections together.

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  6. Love the pic, love the poem, it is poignant for me especially. I am a great fan of Maier

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  7. You took the picture and made it yours, mine,...and...hers!
    WYsawIWYgot...with beautiful words, Carrie.

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  8. I always close my eyes! The last stanza is awesome and so is your write.

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  9. we can hope the next is better than the last but...only in moments....and only when we keep our eyes wide open and wait for it....smiles.

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  10. Love the H.F. Hedge quote.
    I often tell myself that I won't write anymore because it's all been thought and said before, but then I go and write in spite of that.
    memories are similar to photographs; some can never be retaken, some fade with time. but we can glimpse our past by being observant to our now.
    Nicely done Carrie.

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  11. I completely feel along the lines you've written.... it is with open, seeing eyes, that even the invisible shines through!

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  12. Nice...I could hear all the camera sounds...

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  13. And isn't it interesting that what we see of our past doesn't necessarily leave the same impression on others?

    A thought-provoking response.

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  14. Life too is like this, in a blink its gone.

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  15. thank you for visiting me; your comment led me here, and to a reminder of Vivian Maier, for which I am grateful. I think of Maier of being courageous, walking about and photographing people of the streets.

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  16. Dearest Carrie,

    I haven't been writing for a while. And was craving warm living poetry like a little girl craving vanilla ice cream. So I headed straight for your blog.

    And I. AM. NEVER. DISAPPOINTED.

    Loves and Hugs
    Ninot

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"Our best thoughts come from others." ~Ralph Waldo Emerson