Shadows of the Past
The old man sitting on
the back of a tractor
is wearing a ball cap &
hanging his head. He’s
going nowhere. The tractor’s
seat is hot in the sun, as is
the man who also appears
to be tired, perhaps because
he’s old, and it’s late in
the afternoon.
The tractor’s flat tires
have sunk deep into straw
on the ground where it’s
parked. Shadows of the past
lie all around. All memory
dwells in shadows, fresh &
alive like the tree off to the left,
rusted & changed like the
tractor chassis, or even lost
like the engine coil.
The old man sitting on
the back of a tractor
is wearing a ball cap &
hanging his head. He’s
going nowhere. The tractor’s
seat is hot in the sun, as is
the man who also appears
to be tired, perhaps because
he’s old, and it’s late in
the afternoon.
The tractor’s flat tires
have sunk deep into straw
on the ground where it’s
parked. Shadows of the past
lie all around. All memory
dwells in shadows, fresh &
alive like the tree off to the left,
rusted & changed like the
tractor chassis, or even lost
like the engine coil.
Poem by Helen Losse, photo by Curtis Dunlap
5 comments:
wonderful collaboration Curtis and Helen. The old man, the tractor, the shadows--an overall feeling of melancholy to this piece.
so, I'm assuming the photo came first, then the poem? :) just curious!
Yes, Jessie. The photo came first. Curtis posted it on Facebook, and I took it from there.
I love photos with poems and this was just wonderful. Such a feel to it . . .authentic!
I love collaborations, and this does it justice...Tobacco Road, reminds me of my trip down through Virginia last summer. I never saw tobacco growing before, or heard of the hard work that goes into it...
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