Pix to Words Podcast

Day 18 of NaPoWriMo 2024 The drive down Newfoundland's west coast from L'Anse Aux Meadows, the site of North America's only confirmed Viking settlement, reminds me a little of California's glorious Mendocino highway. It was very windy that day.Better formatting in the post, along with an audio reading of the poem. * Lessons from the Wind * Wind bends the grasses Agitates the sea Riffling waves roll From water onto land While I remain unperturbed Steadfast Face into the wind As all around me Is buffeted And this This is how I want to be In the storm that is life Where I am disturbed By all that moves around me Perturbed by the rushing flow I take note Learn the lessons nature offers Resolve to become Resolute as the rocky shore        Firm against the crashing waves Supple as the grasses        Which bend then return to form Deep as the ocean        Calm beneath its roiling surface The wind Whispers in my ear Learn this And you will become peace ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ About the photograph: Lessons from the Wind Highway 430, The Viking Trail River of Ponds Newfoundland, Canada Taken during travels, 2023 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A reading from the blog post: Lessons from the Wind: https://pixtowords.com/2024/04/18/lessons-from-the-wind/ From my blog Pix to Words: https://pixtowords.com/

The Fall I fall A cascade Out of the mist Down the rocky narrows Seeking the still Cool waters Their calm But there is no pool Only the decline Until I am reduced To a trickle Then nothing

A macaque shares the rooftop Lingers on the rail As the rising sun stokes The smoke laden atmosphere To molten amber It's tempting to believe The monkey is as enthralled as I With the iconic Red Fort silhouette But I rather suspect the bugger's Feigning disinterest in my breakfast They're clever that way To stray any further from the table Set lavishly with silver and crystal on white tablecloth Would invite a blitzkrieg And the confiscation of my croissant It's what I would do were our roles reversed Fortunately, this angle is perfect And near enough the table for deterrence As the shutter clicks I thank my little gray enemy For the perfect pose The croissant is delicious Slathered with raspberry jam I chase the last of it down with espresso While the disappointed macaque lumbers off In search of its own breakfast ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ About the photograph: Rhesus Macaque with Red Fort Rooftop of Tara Palace Hotel Chandni Chowk (Old Delhi) New Delhi, India Taken during travels, 2017 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A reading from the blog post: Monkey Business ~ Pic and a Word Challenge #360: https://pixtowords.com/2024/03/11/monkey-business-pic-and-a-word-challenge-360/ From my blog Pix to Words: https://pixtowords.com/ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Pic and a Word Challenge is a weekly creativity prompt 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, podcast, 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. Challenge rules are provided in the blog post link above. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sol yet plays coy with leaden horizon But there is enough magic In dawn's wan light To illumine the contrast Of ancient glory Astride modern poverty While camera and I Find beauty in both ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ About the photograph: Contrast in Wan Light Chandni Chowk (Old Delhi) and Red Fort New Delhi, India Taken during travels, January 2017 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A reading from the blog post: Contrast in Wan Light: https://pixtowords.com/2024/03/10/contrast-in-wan-light/ From my blog Pix to Words: https://pixtowords.com/ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You with those sad eyes In the sallow light Backdropped by electric blue And me with the glass eye Recorder of moments Context only by supposition I could not ask you then What countenanced such sorrow Or was it just an unguarded moment Emotion apparent in an unintended gesture I am left only with guesses While you cannot even know Someone reflects on this moment From half a world away ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ About the photograph: You With Those Sad Eyes Chandni Chowk market (Old Delhi) New Delhi, India Taken during travels, January 2017 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A reading from the blog post: Half a World Away: https://pixtowords.com/2024/03/09/half-a-world-away/ From my blog Pix to Words: https://pixtowords.com/ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This parade of life This hubbub of trade Of needs Of desires This chaos of order And community And here am I Amid the throng In the moments between Want and have In the choices between Necessity and pleasure This is existential quandary Alone in my thoughts In a sea of solitary moments Each a universe Borne from a solitary mind Known only to itself These in parallel all With the essentials Of desire And necessity A flurry of universes Sharing a single dimension While in my universe The bodies of a thousand strangers Dance in cadence With the flow of trade A performance at once Exquisitely mundane and beautiful ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ About the photograph: The Parade of Life Chandni Chowk market (Old Delhi) New Delhi, India Taken during travels, January 2017 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A reading from the blog post: Existential Parade: ⁠https://pixtowords.com/2024/03/08/existential-parade/ From my blog Pix to Words: https://pixtowords.com/

In motionI am stillIn stillnessI am emptyIn emptinessI find no peaceHollowHauntedVacantAmidst this familiar pandemoniumI alone am solidYet invisibleCarrying as passengerA pain which pays no fareAnswers no questionsOffers no solutionsThe me of this momentNone will rememberNot even IBut hereThe pain shuffles offInto the crowdAnd I will not remember it either ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ About the photograph: Bicycle Rickshaw Driver Chandni Chowk market (Old Delhi) New Delhi, India ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A reading from the blog post: Moments I'll not Remember: https://pixtowords.com/2024/03/05/moments-ill-not-remember/ From my blog Pix to Words: https://pixtowords.com/ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ [talk] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Suffocating smoke Smothers glimmer and glee Even the sun subdued To wan gloom Long before it sets Still I know colour lingers beneath Recall its effervescence Manifest the latent joy Until that rises above the horizon Of my heart  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ About the photograph: p>Latent Colour Rishikesh Uttarakhand, India Taken during  travels, 2017 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A reading from the blog post: Manifest Colour: https://pixtowords.com/2024/03/01/manifest-colour/ From my blog Pix to Words: https://pixtowords.com/ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ In 2017 I spent several weeks in northern India, visiting New Delhi, Agra (the Taj Mahal and Red Fort are there), and Varanasi (Hinduism's holiest city). The atmosphere all across the north was thick with seasonal agricultural smoke as the freshly harvested fields were set on fire in preparation for planting the next crop. By the third week, my cough had become chronic. A deep breath would start a coughing fit.Delhi's air quality regularly clocks in as the most unhealthy on the entire planet. But Agra and Varanasi seemed not much better. I left Varanasi earlier than I would have liked. It's such a spectacularly unusual and deeply affecting place. But the air was just getting worse, becoming so bad the morning of my departure the flight was delayed for a few hours due to lack of visibility. Rishikesh, at the base of Himalayan foothills, was a considerable improvement. But even there the smoke would, from time-to-time, creep into the valley, as it did the evening I took this photograph.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Cloudy tendrils cling to hillsides As a child to its mother on school's first day The bus driver beckons Come, this way to new worlds Mother's kiss lingers on rosy chee kSolid and eternal as the hills ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ About the photograph: Eternal as the Hills East Arm Highway 430 Gros Morne National Park Newfoundland, Canada Taken during  travels, 2023 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A reading from the blog post: Solid as the Hills: https://pixtowords.com/2024/02/28/solid-as-the-hills/ From my blog Pix to Words: https://pixtowords.com/ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I'm going to tell you what I think this poem means to me. So, if you like, go back and re-listen to it. Then think about what it means to you. Whatever that is, you're right. A poem's meaning is always a reflection of the reader's state of mind, state of being. We can analyze the poet's intended meaning all we want but, at least for me, the intention of a poem is to present a wordy kind of Rorschach image for the reader to find meaning in. I also think it's important for the poet, me, to realize I also need to be a reader. I figured out a while ago, no matter who I think I'm writing for, whenever I set words down on paper the words are almost always meant for me. More than that, the meaning they intend for me may not become apparent for minutes, hours, days or even years after the poem is published. That tricky old subconscious at work... or maybe something else? I'm not really sure. (A story for another time...) I started working on the photograph for "Solid as the Hills" last night, fairly early in the evening.  Words weren't really connecting with it during the edit, which is usually where it happens. All I got was something a bit like the opening line: "Tendrils of cloud cling to the hillsides". Nothing else offered itself in accompaniment. With the photo in good shape, I watched a couple episodes of "Cold Case" and eventually went to bed with no more words to show for. That's where it stayed until about noon today when I sat in front of the laptop and committed to writing something down.  Looking at the photograph for inspiration, and adding some touch ups, a new image appeared in the form of a child clinging to its mother like those tendrils to the hills. The first day of school image of a mother and child waiting at the bus stop came hot on its heels. There's a tension there, for both mother and child. It's one of life's great transitional moments, leaving home for the first time to embark on a journey of discovery. But it also represents a first step toward separating a child from the safety and dependence of their mother and their home, and bittersweetness characterises the experience for both. The future can look a bit ominous for both, but there is also the promise of great new adventures, growth and success. Of course, I am no longer that child. As a 63 year-old man, that experience is a nearly six decades-old distant memory and, to be honest, I can't actually recall it, though I have no doubt something like it happened. Nonetheless, the words speak directly to me. Changes are brewing in my life. Retirement, meaning, purpose, all these are in transition. And, to be frank, I haven't been handling it all that well. The near future broods on my moods much like the gloomy clouds. See the blog post (link above) for the rest of the transcript.

Some places just feel ancient Time there stopped And the land quit changing I never feel more here and now Than in such places This little speck of life, I In the midst Of eternity One tiny moment Of meaninglessness Writ large on existence ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ About the photograph: Timeless Bay Gros Morne National Park Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada Taken during  travels, 2023 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A reading from the blog post: In the Midst of Eternity : https://pixtowords.com/2024/02/27/in-the-midst-of-eternity/ From my blog Pix to Words: https://pixtowords.com/ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Canary and Crimson Betwixt and between Grey and Green Verdance offsets the gloom Vivid speaks to joy Nestled on a rocky shore Home and hearth Friends and family Small lives lived large In nature's grandeur On the edge of infinite ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ About the photograph: Vivid Green Point Campground Gros Morne National Park Newfoundland, Canada Taken during travels, 2023 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A reading from the blog post: Vivid ~ Pic and a Word Challenge #358 : https://pixtowords.com/2024/02/26/vivid-pic-and-a-word-challenge-358/ From my blog Pix to Words: https://pixtowords.com/ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Pic and a Word Challenge #358 ~ Vivid Last week we got up and at 'em Early. This week let's experience the joy in Vivid. Or seek something else to inspire you in this photograph of vividly coloured homes on Green Point's foreshore in Gros Morne National Park, Newfoundland, Canada. The Pic and a Word Challenge is a weekly creativity prompt 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, podcast, 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. Instructions for taking the challenge can be found on the blog post page, listed above. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Spring tests winter's depths Capricious audacity Risks mortality ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ About the photograph: Early Bloom Hinge Park Wetland Vancouver British Columbia, Canada ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A reading from the blog post: (with songbirds accompanying) Early ~ Pic and a Word Challenge: https://pixtowords.com/2024/02/19/early-pic-and-a-word-challenge-357/ From my blog Pix to Words: https://pixtowords.com/ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Pic and a Word Challenge Last week we had a chat over our Fences. This week let's get up and at 'em Early. Or seek something else to inspire you in this macro photograph of an early spring bloom in February's depths of winter.The reading's songbird accompaniment was recorded while I was photographing these spring buds in Vancouver's Hinge Park Wetland. Feel free to find something in this to inspire your creativity as well. :) The Pic and a Word Challenge is a weekly creativity prompt 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, podcast, 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 please go to the blog post Ilink above) for this week's challenge instructions. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Detritus and treasures The flotsam and jetsam Of mes forgotten And discarded Wash ashore There to be beachcombed Collected and collated br />Discovering the pieces For a me I can reconstruct ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ About the photograph: Detritus and treasures Cannon Beach Oregon, United States of America ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A reading from the blog post: Discovery: https://pixtowords.com/2024/02/16/discovery/ From my blog Pix to Words: https://pixtowords.com/

Grounded yet adrift Betwixt and between Tethered while untethered Her beauty Both fades and grows Returning to the Earth From which she once Set out to sea The cycle of life Beautiful and cruel Both to be found In any single moment This one nears the end At which new life begins ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ About the photograph: Beautiful and Cruel Marie Joseph Nova Scotia, Canada ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A reading from the blog post: Beautiful and Cruel: https://pixtowords.com/2024/02/15/beautiful-and-cruel/ From my blog Pix to Words: https://pixtowords.com/ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Bound and confined Behind a fence Of my own construction Bindings tied by my own hands Beyond Beyond Beyond the fence Barren sand But for one tough little plant Velvet leaves Belie the depths plumbed By roots anchoring it to Earth And if that little scrap of life Can defy the sand Then I, yes I Can defy this prison of mind ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ About the photograph: Velvet in the Sand Basin Head Provincial Park Prince Edward Island, Canada ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A reading from the blog post: Defiance: https://pixtowords.com/2024/02/14/defiance/ From my blog Pix to Words: https://pixtowords.com/

She burrows into his arms Marvels again At the sanctuary Physical strength In tranquil balance With silky softness of spirit Onshore breezes Salt and sand flitter Scents and sensations Tingling Everywhere Especially her heart As she nuzzles Deeper This embrace Warm haven From chill sea air ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ About the photograph: Burrowing Sand Fence Basin Head Provincial Park Prince Edward Island, Canada ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A reading from the blog post: Sanctuary: https://pixtowords.com/2024/02/13/sanctuary/ From my blog Pix to Words: https://pixtowords.com/

Sundered fences Leave me vulnerable To intimacy And possibility So I shore them up Defend against Betrayals And failure Hoping all the while Someone will breach them Armed with no more Than love and compassion ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ About the photograph: Sundered Sand Fence Basin Head Provincial Park Prince Edward Island, Canada ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A reading from the blog post: Fences: Pic and a Word Challenge #356: https://pixtowords.com/2024/02/12/fences-pic-and-a-word-challenge-356/ From my blog Pix to Words: https://pixtowords.com/ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The day-to-day The ebb-and-flow Cuts and layers Excise and sediment Build upon the I that was Carve away the I that may Remains the query Who directs this knife and trowel But the whim Of tide and wave ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ About the photograph: The Whims of Tide and Wave Mary's Point Shepody National Wildlife Refuge The Bay of Fundy New Brunswick, Canada Taken during  travels, 2023 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A reading from the blog post:

Sun burns white hot Through dissipating fog Sets wildflowers ablaze With its morning rays Sonic beacon rendered mute Its clarion calls to clarity Invited cerulean hues A day begun In dour temper Manifests its beauty ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ About the photograph: Sun and Cerulean Quaco Head – UNESCO Fundy Biosphere Reserve St. Martins New Brunswick, Canada Taken during  travels, 2023 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A reading, with commentary, from the blog post:

Diffuse light in dispersing fog Daisies, clover and buttercups Stretch into morning Pastel whispers from daylight skies Beacon's warning Smothered by the mist So she howls Into unknowable voids Lest any run astray To foul upon the stone This wall between The land and sea While daisies, clover and buttercups Tremble in the breeze ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ About the photograph: Beacon Amid the Daisies Quaco Head – UNESCO Fundy Biosphere Reserve St. Martins New Brunswick, Canada Taken during  travels, 2023 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A reading from the blog post: