Artistic Amalgams

Amarula Style

2011-12-13T11:53:00.001-07:00

Greetings from Cape Town, South Africa.

Amarula Style XIX by B.Held

"After climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are many more hills to climb. I have taken a moment to rest, to steal a view of the glorious vista that surrounds me, to look back on the distance I have come. But I can only rest for a moment, for with freedom comes responsibilities. And I dare not linger, for my long walk has just begun."

—Nelson Mandela

A Palm View + A Song On the End of the World

2011-11-22T22:25:00.000-07:00

A Palm View by B.Held

"A Song On the End of the World" by Czeslaw Milosz

On the day the world ends
A bee circles a clover,
A fisherman mends a glimmering net.
Happy porpoises jump in the sea,
By the rainspout young sparrows are playing
And the snake is gold-skinned as it should always be.

On the day the world ends
Women walk through the fields under their umbrellas,
A drunkard grows sleepy at the edge of a lawn,
Vegetable peddlers shout in the street
And a yellow-sailed boat comes nearer the island,
The voice of a violin lasts in the air
And leads into a starry night.

And those who expected lightning and thunder
Are disappointed.
And those who expected signs and archangels' trumps
Do not believe it is happening now.
As long as the sun and the moon are above,
As long as the bumblebee visits a rose,
As long as rosy infants are born
No one believes it is happening now.

Only a white-haired old man, who would be a prophet
Yet is not a prophet, for he's much too busy,
Repeats while he binds his tomatoes:
No other end of the world will there be,
No other end of the world will there be.

By My Window II + What Is Sleep?

2011-10-12T07:18:00.002-07:00

By My Window II by B.Held

from “What Is Sleep?” by C. B. Langston

Sleep is the gift of gifts! most prized! most sweet!

The grant of mercy from offended heav'n!

The golden sceptre of the King of kings!

Nature's great fold, where, all who enter in,

The fierce, the strong, the wretched, and the vile,

Are by its mystic influence, made lambs!

Sleep is a shadow to eclipse the mind--

A sombre veil, that shrouds its dazzling light,

To give it greater lustre when withdrawn;

A sea of fathomless nonentity,

Wherein the senses bathe their weary pow'rs,

And noble reason quaffs refreshing dews!

A Small Stare Down

2011-09-28T18:44:00.005-07:00

A Small Stare Down by B.Held

“The silence often of pure innocence persuades when speaking fails.”

—William Shakespeare

Wildflower Season

2011-08-17T06:05:00.000-07:00

Wildflower Season by B.Held

from "The Wild Flower's Song" by William Blake

As I wandered the forest,
The green leaves among,
I heard a Wild Flower
Singing a song.

All Alone

2011-07-27T06:06:00.002-07:00

Experimenting with the Holga Polaroid Instant Film Back (a.k.a. the “Holgaroid”). Some light leaks happened, but I like the overall effect.

All Alone by B.Held

“We’re born alone, we live alone, we die alone. Only through our love and friendship can we create the illusion for the moment that we’re not alone.”

—Orson Welles

In Dreams Awake

2011-07-23T06:33:00.001-07:00

In Dreams Awake by B.Held

“Our truest life is when we are in dreams awake.”

—Henry David Thoreau

Santa Fe Nights

2011-07-10T10:14:00.001-07:00

Santa Fe Nights V by B.Held

“I often think that the night is more alive and more richly colored than the day.”

—Vincent van Gogh

Canyon Road Ivy

2011-07-09T08:52:00.001-07:00

Canyon Road Ivy by B.Held

"You might as well be dead if you don’t believe in magic or mystery."

—Albert Einstein

Fire Clouds

2011-06-28T05:48:00.002-07:00

A fast-moving wildfire closed the Los Alamos National Laboratory for the past 2 days. Flames and smoke can be seen from Santa Fe. This photograph was taken from my apartment window on Sunday night.

Fire Clouds I by B.Held

"And each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the floor."

—Edgar Allan Poe

Summer Solstice

2011-06-22T06:53:00.003-07:00

Summer Solstice by B.Held

"On the summer solstice … Whatever is dreamed on this night, will come to pass."

—William Shakespeare || A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Falling into Auckland

2011-06-18T05:53:00.000-07:00

Falling into Auckland by B.Held

“The true harvest of my life is intangible - a little star dust caught, a portion of the rainbow I have clutched.”

—Henry David Thoreau

Kokako Café

2011-06-17T06:02:00.000-07:00

Kokako Café III by B.Held

"One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well."

—Virginia Woolf

Secret Passage + Seeker of Truth

2011-05-16T05:58:00.000-07:00

Secret Passage by B.Held

"Seeker of Truth" by e.e. cummings

seeker of truth

follow no path
all paths lead where

truth is here

Songs of the Wind + Messages in Gypsum

2011-04-08T13:57:00.002-07:00

Songs of the Wind by B.Held

“Messages in Gypsum” by B.Held

The footprints of the wind are present.
And the persistent whispers surround me.
What is he trying to tell me?

That nothing is permanent.
And I cannot stay.
Oh, the caprice of gypsum!

Remembering the Bomb

2011-04-04T06:12:00.006-07:00

Twice a year they let the masses in. Now we all can experience ground zero at the Trinity Site. But, be warned: it is a truly harrowing encounter.

All photographs by B.Held.
See more photographs in my Remembering the Bomb set on flickr.

"We knew the world would not be the same. Few people laughed, few people cried, most people were silent. I remembered the line from the Hindu scripture, the Bhagavad-Gita. Vishnu is trying to persuade the Prince that he should do his duty and to impress him takes on his multi-armed form and says, "Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds." I suppose we all thought that, one way or another."

—J. Robert Oppenheimer

Impervious to the World's Soft Decay

2011-04-01T08:06:00.000-07:00

Let’s cleanse ourselves and prevent the decay . . .

Impervious to the World's Soft Decay by B.Held

“Always learn poems by heart,” she said. “They have to become the marrow in your bones. Like fluoride in the water, they’ll make your soul impervious to the world’s soft decay.”

—Janet Fitch || White Oleander

A Poetic Path

2011-03-23T08:03:00.001-07:00

Take that first step.

A Poetic Path by B.Held

“A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step.”

—Lao Tzu

Crossing Paths

2011-03-17T05:40:00.000-07:00

I have been dreaming more frequently as of late. I don’t know why. Maybe it’s due to my unconscious like Anaïs Nin says . . .

Crossing Paths by B.Held

"Our life is composed greatly from dreams, from the unconscious, and they must be brought into connection with action. They must be woven together."

—Anaïs Nin

Level #2 Green Chile

2011-03-16T06:11:00.001-07:00

I love finding unusual restaurants with enticing dishes. And, the Horseman’s Haven Cafe is just that. Tucked away behind a gas station in Santa Fe, this restaurant has amazing green chile that can be ordered in “levels” of hotness. The level #2 green chile is much hotter than many Thai dishes packing intense heat. Be prepared for a wonderful food high.

Level #2 Green Chile by B.Held

“What is food to one man may be fierce poison to others.”

—Lucretius

Shimmering Fumes

2011-02-28T06:45:00.001-07:00

Oh the simple joys of homebrewing! I recently brewed a vanilla porter, and I am now hooked on brewing beer. There’s something purely magical about simmering cauldrons.

Shimmering Fumes by B.Held

“I don’t expect you will really understand the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through human veins, bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses . . . I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, even stopper death . . .”

—J.K. Rowling || Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone

Milk with Tea

2011-02-11T10:35:00.000-07:00

Please check out my milk with tea interview.

Let Them Fly + Let Birds

2011-01-11T07:03:00.002-07:00

They were so serenely beautiful that I couldn't resist snapping this shot.

Let Them Fly by B.Held

from “Let Birds” by Linda Gregg

I will never give up longing.
I will let my hair stay long.
The rain proclaims these trees,
the trees tell of the sun.
Let birds, let birds.
Let leaf be passion.
Let jaw, let teeth, let tongue
be between us. Let joy.

Modern Starlight + Lucifer in Starlight

2011-01-10T06:46:00.001-07:00

Modern Starlight by B.Held

“Lucifer in Starlight” by George Meredith

On a starr'd night Prince Lucifer uprose.
Tired of his dark dominion swung the fiend
Above the rolling ball in cloud part screen'd,
Where sinners hugg'd their spectre of repose.
Poor prey to his hot fit of pride were those.
And now upon his western wing he lean'd,
Now his huge bulk o'er Afric's sands careen'd,
Now the black planet shadow'd Arctic snows.
Soaring through wider zones that prick'd his scars
With memory of the old revolt from Awe,
He reach'd a middle height, and at the stars,
Which are the brain of heaven, he look'd, and sank.
Around the ancient track march'd, rank on rank,
The army of unalterable law.

Night Is Darkening + Spellbound

2011-01-09T08:53:00.001-07:00

. . . from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Night Is Darkening by B.Held

“Spellbound” by Emily Brontë

The night is darkening round me,
The wild winds coldly blow;
But a tyrant spell has bound me
And I cannot, cannot go.

The giant trees are bending
Their bare boughs weighed with snow.
And the storm is fast descending,
And yet I cannot go.

Clouds beyond clouds above me,
Wastes beyond wastes below;
But nothing dear can move me;
I will not, cannot go.

Blurb Book—American Depravity

2010-12-22T20:43:00.006-07:00

My new blurb book, American Depravity, has been published!

Great for a last minute gift idea :-)

American Depravity by B.Held | Make Your Own Book

Seeking Shelter + Shelter from the Storm

2010-12-01T07:08:00.003-07:00

Seeking Shelter by B.Held

from “Shelter from the Storm” by Bob Dylan

I was in another lifetime one of toil and blood
When blackness was a virtue and the road was full of mud
I came in from the wilderness a creature void of form
"Come in" she said
"I'll give you shelter from the storm."

Ancient Land with Ancient Souls

2010-11-23T06:48:00.000-07:00

Ancient Land with Ancient Souls by B.Held

“Death is terrifying because it is so ordinary. It happens all the time.”

—Susan Cheever

The Cold Depths of Despair

2010-10-26T10:46:00.002-07:00

I have a slight obsession with trains. I just love teetering on the railroad’s metal edge.

The Cold Depths of Despair by B.Held

“Because, once alone, it is impossible to believe that one could ever have been otherwise. Loneliness is an absolute discovery.”

—Marilynne Robinson || Housekeeping

Ceremoniously Buried

2010-09-21T06:12:00.000-07:00

Ceremoniously Buried by B.Held

“But in the mountains the earth is most ceremoniously buried, with all its relics, against its next rising, in hillock and tumulus.”

—Marilynne Robinson || Housekeeping

Held Over

2010-08-25T07:03:00.001-07:00

Oftentimes, I am "held over" on various odysseys through life. Please check out my new travel photography blog, Held Over, where I am documenting these adventures.

held-over.com

Twisted Roots + The Presence of Trees

2010-07-27T06:35:00.000-07:00

Twisted Roots by B.Held

“The Presence of Trees” by Michael S. Glaser

I have always felt the living presence
of trees

the forest that calls to me as deeply
as I breathe,

as though the woods were marrow of my bone
as though

I myself were tree, a breathing, reaching
arc of the larger canopy

beside a brook bubbling to foam
like the one

deep in these woods,
that calls

that whispers home

Looking Out

2010-07-15T05:33:00.001-07:00

What do you see?

Looking Out by B.Held

"It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see."

—Henry David Thoreau

Darker, Emptier and Simpler

2010-07-02T06:03:00.000-07:00

Darker, Emptier and Simpler by B.Held

"Thoughts are the shadows of our feelings - always darker, emptier and simpler."

—Friedrich Nietzsche

Darkness Is Not Everywhere

2010-07-01T06:15:00.003-07:00

Darkness Is Not Everywhere by B.Held

"No my friend, darkness is not everywhere, for here and there I find faces illuminated from within; paper lanterns among the dark trees."

—Carole Borges

What Matters Most

2010-06-19T08:00:00.000-07:00

What Matters Most by B.Held

"Each morning we are born again. What we do today matters most."

—Buddha

Roots Co-Mingling Underground

2010-06-14T05:48:00.002-07:00

Roots Co-Mingling Underground by B.Held

"Our lives are like islands in the sea, or like trees in the forest, which co-mingle their roots in the darkness underground."

—William James

Live the Question

2010-06-10T07:02:00.000-07:00

Live the Question by B.Held

"… have patience with everything that remains unsolved in your heart. Try to love the questions themselves, like locked rooms and like books written in a foreign language. Do not now look for the answers. They cannot now be given to you because you could not live them. It is a question of experiencing everything. At present you need to live the question. Perhaps you will gradually, without even noticing it, find yourself experiencing the answer some distant day."

—Rainer Maria Rilke || Letters to a Young Poet (The Fourth Letter)

Nameless Faces

2010-06-01T06:12:00.002-07:00

The back wall of a hidden house (in Tokyo) with an interesting poster.

Nameless Faces by B.Held

"A photograph is a secret about a secret. The more it tells you the less you know."

—Diane Arbus

A Wordless Song + Song of the Soul XXII

2010-05-03T06:25:00.002-07:00

In the depth of my soul . . .

A Wordless Song by B.Held

from “Song of the Soul XXII” by Khalil Gibran

In the depth of my soul there is
A wordless song - a song that lives
in the seed of my heart.
It refuses to melt with ink on
Parchment; it engulfs my affection
In a transparent cloak and flows,
But not upon my lips.

It is a song composed by contemplation,
And published by silence,
And shunned by clamor,
And folded by truth,
And repeated by dreams,
And understood by love,
And hidden by awakening,
And sung by the soul.

Never Underestimate the Depravity

2010-05-01T17:08:00.000-07:00

I love this quote.

Never Underestimate the Depravity by B.Held

“A nation that forgets its past has no future.”

—Winston Churchill

High & Mighty

2010-04-29T07:14:00.004-07:00

A very telling quote.

High & Mighty by B.Held

"We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful about what we pretend to be."

—Kurt Vonnegut || Mother Night

Silence Blossoms in the Fog + Poem

2010-04-26T09:59:00.002-07:00

Let it blossom . . .

Silence Blossoms in the Fog by B.Held

from "Poem" by Leonard Cohen

while silence blossoms like tumours on our lips

Extraordinary Unreality + To the Lighthouse

2010-04-18T09:00:00.005-07:00

To the lighthouse . . .

Extraordinary Unreality by B.Held

from “To the Lighthouse” by Virginia Woolf

The extraordinary unreality was frightening; but it was also exciting. Going to the Lighthouse. But what does one send to the Lighthouse? Perished. Alone.

Chromium Nerves

2010-04-15T11:46:00.004-07:00

Another creative outlet—Chromium Nerves.

Please follow me on tumblr!

Suburban Hopes

2010-04-13T15:12:00.002-07:00

Because tomorrow can be better than today . . . .

Suburban Hopes by B.Held

While the Sun Stands Still—Revisited + Walking Through the Light

2010-04-05T16:26:00.002-07:00

New Mexican landscapes never cease to amaze me!

While the Sun Stands Still—Revisited by B.Held

"Walking Through the Light" by Octavio Paz

You lift your left
foot forward the day
stops and laughs
and starts to step lightly
while the sun stands still

You lift your right
foot forward the sun
strolls lightly
off from the day that's
at a standstill in the trees

Breasts high you stroll
the trees walk the sun
follows the day goes
to meet you the sky
invents sudden clouds

Discovering Her Scarlet Lips + The First Kiss Came with Flame

2010-03-29T13:43:00.008-07:00

This image belongs to my Narcissistic Tendencies project.

Discovering Her Scarlet Lips by B.Held

from “The First Kiss Came with Flame” by Carl Sandburg

the first kiss came with flame
she gave him a flame wine
from her scarlet lips a flame wine

Thorns of the Sky + Thank You

2010-03-22T08:27:00.002-07:00

Today I wanted to say "thank you" to the Accredited Online Colleges for choosing my blog as one of their 100 Best Poetry Blogs. It's an honor to be included in their list with so many other superb blogs. You should check out their article that lists many other wonderful poetry blogs and photo/poetry blogs. Thank you again to the people at Accredited Online Colleges!

Thorns of the Sky by B.Held

Where Bad Dreams Hide + Locked Doors

2010-03-15T10:35:00.002-07:00

The bad dreams will always escape.

Where Bad Dreams Hide by B.Held

from “Locked Doors” by Anne Sexton

However, there is a locked room up there
with an iron door that can't be opened.
It has all your bad dreams in it.

Snow Can Wait + Winter

2010-03-08T14:49:00.009-07:00

I am very excited for spring. Snow can wait . . . .

Snow Can Wait by B.Held

from “Winter” by Tori Amos

Snow can wait
I forgot my mittens
Wipe my nose
Get my new boots on
I get a little warm in my heart
When I think of winter
I put my hand in my father's glove

Of Lost Days + Dreams in the Dusk

2010-03-01T17:14:00.001-07:00

Dusk is my favorite time of day.

Of Lost Days by B.Held

"Dreams in the Dusk" by Carl Sandburg

Dreams in the dusk,
Only dreams closing the day
And with the day’s close going back
To the gray things, the dark things,
The far, deep things of dreamland.

Dreams, only dreams in the dusk,
Only the old remembered pictures
Of lost days when the day’s loss
Wrote in tears the heart’s loss.

Tears and loss and broken dreams
May find your heart at dusk.

American Depravity

2010-02-25T10:11:00.000-07:00

While traveling and dreaming, we have but a single fleeting chance to witness, document, and comprehend its presence.

This is your America: American Depravity.

Please check out my ongoing project—American Depravity.

Another Sky through Another Window + There Is Another Sky

2010-02-21T11:48:00.001-07:00

Try to remember that there is another sky.

Another Sky through Another Window by B.Held

from “There is another sky” by Emily Dickinson

There is another sky,
Ever serene and fair,
And there is another sunshine,
Though it be darkness there;

Swirling off into Vapors + Student of Clouds

2010-02-18T08:14:00.003-07:00

I have always wanted to be a student of clouds.

Swirling off into Vapors by B.Held

from “Student of Clouds” by Billy Collins

The emotion is to be found in the clouds,
not in the green solids of the sloping hills
or even in the gray signatures of rivers,
according to Constable, who was a student of clouds
and filled shelves of sketchbooks with their motion,
their lofty gesturing and sudden implication of weather.

A Quality that Cannot Be Described

2010-02-16T08:13:00.002-07:00

This is why I love New Mexico.

A Quality that Cannot Be Described by B.Held

“It is all very beautiful and magical here—a quality which cannot be described. You have to live it and breathe it, let the sun bake into you.”

—Ansel Adams on New Mexico

Lover—Looking Out + 100 Love Sonnets

2010-02-12T09:09:00.005-07:00

for Valentine's Day . . .

Lover—Looking Out by B.Held

from 100 Love Sonnets

XVII by Pablo Neruda

I don’t love you as if you were a rose of salt, topaz,
or arrow of carnations that propagate fire:
I love you as one loves certain obscure things,
secretly, between the shadow and the soul.

I love you as the plant that doesn’t bloom but carries
the light of those flowers, hidden, within itself,
and thanks to your love the tight aroma that arose
from the earth lives dimly in my body.

I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where
I love you directly without problems or pride:
I love you like this because I don’t know any other way to love,

except in this form in which I am not nor are you,
so close that your hand upon my chest is mine,
so close that your eyes close with my dreams.

The Air of So Many Places + October Fullness

2010-02-08T08:59:00.003-07:00

I breathed the air of so many places
without keeping a sample of any.

The Air of So Many Places by B.Held

“October Fullness” by Pablo Neruda

Little by little, and also in great leaps,
life happened to me,
and how insignificant this business is.
These veins carried
my blood, which I scarcely ever saw,
I breathed the air of so many places
without keeping a sample of any.
In the end, everyone is aware of this:
nobody keeps any of what he has,
and life is only a borrowing of bones.
The best thing was learning not to have too much
either of sorrow or of joy,
to hope for the chance of a last drop,
to ask more from honey and from twilight.

Silence in Fog + The Mist

2010-02-03T10:05:00.003-07:00

The essence of stillness, muteness, oblivion, and secrecy.

Silence in Fog by B.Held

from "The Mist" by Carl Sandburg

I am the mist, the impalpable mist,
Back of the thing you seek.
My arms are long,
Long as the reach of time and space.

Dream Drapery + Mist

2010-02-01T14:32:00.000-07:00

The silent mystique of fog . . .

Dream Drapery by B.Held

"Mist" by Henry David Thoreau

Low-anchored cloud,
Newfoundland air,
Fountain head and source of rivers,
Dew-cloth, dream drapery,
And napkin spread by fays;
Drifting meadow of the air,
Where bloom the dasied banks and violets,
And in whose fenny labyrinth
The bittern booms and heron wades;
Spirit of the lake and seas and rivers,
Bear only perfumes and the scent
Of healing herbs to just men's fields!

Windblown (in White) + Ride a White Horse

2010-01-25T18:16:00.008-07:00

Doesn't everyone want to ride a white horse? :)

Windblown (in White) by B.Held

from "Ride a White Horse" by Goldfrapp

When the light turns into darkness
Will he turn up to explain us?
I wanna ride on a white horse
I want to ride on a white horse

red is | . . . |

2010-01-19T10:35:00.015-07:00

I’m starting a new blog called red is | . . . |. It focuses on the different emotions that the color red provokes. Please check it out and submit photographs that show what red means to you. And, remember red is definitely not just a color.

Dawn of Burnt Double Rainbows + Rainbow

2010-01-15T15:22:00.002-07:00

A prophetic find in Truth or Consequences.

Dawn of Burnt Double Rainbows by B.Held

"Rainbow" by Mariah Carey

I know there is a rainbow
For me to follow
To get beyond my sorrow
Thunder precedes the sunlight
So I'll be alright
If I can find that
Rainbow's end
I will be alright
If I can find that
Rainbow's end

While the Sun Stands Still + Walking Through the Light

2010-01-11T13:43:00.006-07:00

After moving to the Land of Enchantment, I was eager to seek the “enchantment,” which seemed overly abundant in the state. However, I did not witness the genuine beauty and magic of New Mexico until the sunlight suddenly broke through the clouds and created this majestic landscape.

While the Sun Stands Still by B.Held

From the Other Side + I can't see New York

2010-01-03T08:46:00.005-07:00

Happy New Year!

From the Other Side by B.Held

"I can't see New York" by Tori Amos

From here
no Lines are
drawn
From here
no lands
are owned
13,000 and Holding
swallowed
in the purring
of her Engines
tracking the Beakon
here
“is there a Signal
there
on the other side”
on the other side?

what do you mean side of
what things?

and you said
and you did
and you said
you would find me
here and you said you would
find me even in Death
and you said
and you said
You’d find me
But

I can’t see New York
as I’m circling down
through white cloud
falling out
and
I know his lips
are warm
but I can’t seem
to find my way out
my way out

I can’t see New York
as I’m circling Down
through white cloud
falling out
and
I know his
lips are warm
but I can’t
seem to find
my way out
my way out
of
this Hunting ground

From here
crystal meth
In
meters of millions
In
the end
all we have,
soul blueprint.
did we get
lost in it
do we
conduct a
search
for this

“from the other
side”
from the other
side?
what do they mean side of
what things?

and you said
and you did
and you said
you would find me
here and you said that you would
find me even in Death
and you said
and you said
You’d find me
But

I can’t see New York
as I’m circling down
through white cloud
falling out
and
I know your lips
are warm
but I can’t seem
To find my way out
my way out

I can’t see New York
as I’m circling down
through white cloud
falling out
and
I know your lips
are warm
but I can’t seem
to find my way
my way out
of your hunting ground

you again
It’s you again
I can’t see
I can’t see
New York
from the other side
from the other side

Steel Eyes + Smoke and Steel

2009-12-29T16:31:00.023-07:00

From a time long past, their memory haunts us still. These are their echoes. Steel ghosts.

Steel Eyes by B.Held

from "Smoke and Steel" by Carl Sandburg

A bar of steel—it is only

Smoke at the heart of it, smoke and the blood of a man.
A runner of fire ran in it, ran out, ran somewhere else,
And left—smoke and the blood of a man
And the finished steel, chilled and blue.

Last Romantics + Candles

2009-12-25T06:47:00.009-07:00

Happy holidays to all!

Last Romantics by B.Held

from "Candles" by Sylvia Plath

They are the last romantics, these candles:

Upside-down hearts of light tipping wax fingers,

And the fingers, taken in by their own haloes,

Grown milky, almost clear, like the bodies of saints.

It is touching, the way they'll ignore

Seven Deadly Sins

2009-12-21T11:05:00.011-07:00

The seven deadly sins surround us every day. They are so close that we can reach out and hold them.

This set of photographs embodies the seven deadly sins with both color symbolism and the materials of human existence. Take a look at my Seven Deadly Sins set:

Wrath by B.Held
Color: Orange
Material: Flaming candle
Concept: Intense and fierce

Greed by B.Held
Color: Black
Material: Anthracite coal (“black diamonds”)
Concept: Dark and excessive

Sloth by B.Held
Color: White
Material: Cloth
Concept: Light and lifeless

Pride by B.Held
Color: Blue
Material: Pins
Concept: Vivid and pomp

Envy by B.Held
Color: Green
Material: Perfume bottle
Concept: Fresh desires

Gluttony by B.Held
Color: Gold
Material: Chocolate truffles
Concept: Pampered and luxurious

Lust by B.Held
Color: Pink
Material: Shimmer body powder
Concept: Passionate and uncontrolled

Advancing Flames + Death

2009-12-17T16:40:00.002-07:00

I now am nourishing and burn in thee.

Advancing Flames by B.Held

"Death" by Rainer Maria Rilke

Come thou, thou last one, whom I recognize,
unbearable pain throughout this body's fabric:
as I in my spirit burned, see, I now burn in thee:
the wood that long resisted the advancing flames
which thou kept flaring, I now am nourishing
and burn in thee.

My gentle and mild being through thy ruthless fury
has turned into a raging hell that is not from here.
Quite pure, quite free of future planning, I mounted
the tangled funeral pyre built for my suffering,
so sure of nothing more to buy for future needs,
while in my heart the stored reserves kept silent.

Is it still I, who there past all recognition burn?
Memories I do not seize and bring inside.
O life! O living! O to be outside!
And I in flames. And no one here who knows me.

Darkness Peering + The Raven

2009-12-15T14:02:00.002-07:00

A beautiful silhouette:

Darkness Peering by B.Held

"The Raven" by Edgar Allen Poe

Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary,
Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore —
While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,
As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door.
"'Tis some visiter," I muttered, "tapping at my chamber door —
Only this and nothing more."

Ah, distinctly I remember it was in the bleak December;
And each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the floor.
Eagerly I wished the morrow; — vainly I had sought to borrow
From my books surcease of sorrow — sorrow for the lost Lenore —
For the rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore —
Nameless here for evermore.

And the silken, sad, uncertain rustling of each purple curtain
Thrilled me — filled me with fantastic terrors never felt before;
So that now, to still the beating of my heart, I stood repeating
"'Tis some visiter entreating entrance at my chamber door —
Some late visiter entreating entrance at my chamber door; —
This it is and nothing more."

Presently my soul grew stronger; hesitating then no longer,
"Sir," said I, "or Madam, truly your forgiveness I implore;
But the fact is I was napping, and so gently you came rapping,
And so faintly you came tapping, tapping at my chamber door,
That I scarce was sure I heard you" — here I opened wide the door; ——
Darkness there and nothing more.

Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there wondering, fearing,
Doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before;
But the silence was unbroken, and the stillness gave no token,
And the only word there spoken was the whispered word, "Lenore?"
This I whispered, and an echo murmured back the word, "Lenore!" —
Merely this and nothing more.

Back into the chamber turning, all my soul within me burning,
Soon again I heard a tapping somewhat louder than before.
"Surely," said I, "surely that is something at my window lattice;
Let me see, then, what thereat is, and this mystery explore —
Let my heart be still a moment and this mystery explore;—
'Tis the wind and nothing more!"

Open here I flung the shutter, when, with many a flirt and flutter,
In there stepped a stately Raven of the saintly days of yore;
Not the least obeisance made he; not a minute stopped or stayed he;
But, with mien of lord or lady, perched above my chamber door —
Perched upon a bust of Pallas just above my chamber door —
Perched, and sat, and nothing more.

Then this ebony bird beguiling my sad fancy into smiling,
By the grave and stern decorum of the countenance it wore,
"Though thy crest be shorn and shaven, thou," I said, "art sure no craven,
Ghastly grim and ancient Raven wandering from the Nightly shore —
Tell me what thy lordly name is on the Night's Plutonian shore!"
Quoth the Raven "Nevermore."

Much I marvelled this ungainly fowl to hear discourse so plainly,
Though its answer little meaning — little relevancy bore;
For we cannot help agreeing that no living human being
Ever yet was blessed with seeing bird above his chamber door —
Bird or beast upon the sculptured bust above his chamber door,
With such name as "Nevermore."

But the Raven, sitting lonely on the placid bust, spoke only
That one word, as if his soul in that one word he did outpour.
Nothing farther then he uttered — not a feather then he fluttered —
Till I scarcely more than muttered "Other friends have flown before —
On the morrow he will leave me, as my Hopes have flown before."
Then the bird said "Nevermore."

Startled at the stillness broken by reply so aptly spoken,
"Doubtless," said I, "what it utters is its only stock and store
Caught from some unhappy master whom unmerciful Disaster
Followed fast and followed faster till his songs one burden bore —
Till the dirges of his Hope that melancholy burden bore
Of 'Never — nevermore'."

But the Raven still beguiling my sad fancy into smiling,
Straight I wheeled a cushioned seat in front of bird, and bust and door;
Then, upon the velvet sinking, I betook myself to linking
Fancy unto fancy, thinking what this ominous bird of yore —
What this grim, ungainly, ghastly, gaunt, and ominous bird of yore
Meant in croaking "Nevermore."

This I sat engaged in guessing, but no syllable expressing
To the fowl whose fiery eyes now burned into my bosom's core;
This and more I sat divining, with my head at ease reclining
On the cushion's velvet lining that the lamp-light gloated o'er,
But whose velvet-violet lining with the lamp-light gloating o'er,
She shall press, ah, nevermore!

Then, methought, the air grew denser, perfumed from an unseen censer
Swung by seraphim whose foot-falls tinkled on the tufted floor.
"Wretch," I cried, "thy God hath lent thee — by these angels he hath sent thee
Respite — respite and nepenthe, from thy memories of Lenore;
Quaff, oh quaff this kind nepenthe and forget this lost Lenore!"
Quoth the Raven "Nevermore."

"Prophet!" said I, "thing of evil! — prophet still, if bird or devil! —
Whether Tempter sent, or whether tempest tossed thee here ashore,
Desolate yet all undaunted, on this desert land enchanted —
On this home by Horror haunted — tell me truly, I implore —
Is there — is there balm in Gilead? — tell me — tell me, I implore!"
Quoth the Raven "Nevermore."

"Prophet!" said I, "thing of evil! — prophet still, if bird or devil!
By that Heaven that bends above us — by that God we both adore —
Tell this soul with sorrow laden if, within the distant Aidenn,
It shall clasp a sainted maiden whom the angels name Lenore —
Clasp a rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore."
Quoth the Raven "Nevermore."

"Be that word our sign of parting, bird or fiend!" I shrieked, upstarting —
"Get thee back into the tempest and the Night's Plutonian shore!
Leave no black plume as a token of that lie thy soul hath spoken!
Leave my loneliness unbroken! — quit the bust above my door!
Take thy beak from out my heart, and take thy form from off my door!"
Quoth the Raven "Nevermore."

And the Raven, never flitting, still is sitting, still is sitting
On the pallid bust of Pallas just above my chamber door;
And his eyes have all the seeming of a demon's that is dreaming,
And the lamp-light o'er him streaming throws his shadow on the floor;
And my soul from out that shadow that lies floating on the floor
Shall be lifted — nevermore!

Obeying the Darkness and the Silence + Lights Out

2009-12-09T16:26:00.003-07:00

This image is part of my Melancholy Forests series.

Obeying the Darkness and the Silence by B.Held

"Lights Out" by Edward Thomas

I have come to the borders of sleep,
The unfathomable deep
Forest where all must lose
Their way, however straight,
Or winding, soon or late;
They cannot choose.

Many a road and track
That, since the dawn's first crack,
Up to the forest brink,
Deceived the travellers,
Suddenly now blurs,
And in they sink.

Here love ends,
Despair, ambition ends,
All pleasure and all trouble,
Although most sweet or bitter,
Here ends in sleep that is sweeter
Than tasks most noble.

There is not any book
Or face of dearest look
That I would not turn from now
To go into the unknown
I must enter and leave alone
I know not how.

The tall forest towers;
Its cloudy foliage lowers
Ahead, shelf above shelf;
Its silence I hear and obey
That I may lose my way
And myself.

Intersections of a Dark Forest + The Dark Forest

2009-12-04T10:05:00.004-07:00

This image is part of my Melancholy Forests series.

Intersections of a Dark Forest by B.Held

from "The Dark Forest" by Edward Thomas

Dark is the forest and deep, and overhead
Hang stars like seeds of light
In vain, though not since they were sown was bred
Anything more bright.

And evermore mighty multitudes ride
About, nor enter in;
Of the other multitudes that dwell inside
Never yet was one seen.

Secret Inconclusive Wood + Entrance into Wood

2009-12-01T09:51:00.001-07:00

This image is part of my Melancholy Forests series.

Secret Inconclusive Wood by B.Held

from "Entrance into Wood" by Pablo Neruda

I fall into shadow, the midst
of things broken down,
I look at spiders, and graze on forests
of secret inconclusive wood,
I pass along damp uprooted fibers
to the live heart of matter and silence.

Tossing So As to Scare + The Sound of Trees

2009-11-24T11:18:00.002-07:00

This image is part of my Melancholy Forests series.

Tossing So As to Scare by B.Held

"The Sound of Trees" by Robert Frost

I wonder about the trees.
Why do we wish to bear
Forever the noise of these
More than another noise
So close to our dwelling place?
We suffer them by the day
Till we lose all measure of pace,
And fixity in our joys,
And acquire a listening air.
They are that that talks of going
But never gets away;
And that talks no less for knowing,
As it grows wiser and older,
That now it means to stay.
My feet tug at the floor
And my head sways to my shoulder
Sometimes when I watch trees sway,
From the window or the door.
I shall set forth for somewhere,
I shall make the reckless choice
Some day when they are in voice
And tossing so as to scare
The white clouds over them on.
I shall have less to say,
But I shall be gone.

The Fierce Evil of the Serpent Spirit + Spirits of the Dead

2009-11-23T13:37:00.003-07:00

This image is part of my Melancholy Forests series.

The Fierce Evil of the Serpent Spirit by B.Held

from "Spirits of the Dead" by Edgar Allen Poe

Be silent in that solitude,
Which is not loneliness—for then
The spirits of the dead who stood
In life before thee are again
In death around thee—and their will
Shall overshadow thee: be still.

Clattered Trees—Silently Weeping + Night Winds

2009-11-17T10:16:00.001-07:00

This image is part of my Melancholy Forests series.

Clattered Trees—Silently Weeping by B.Held

"Night Winds" by Adelaide Crapsey

The old
Old winds that blew
When chaos was, what do
They tell the clattered trees that I
should weep?

Trembling Shadows of a Dark World + In the Dark World

2009-11-09T15:28:00.005-07:00

It still gives me chills.

This image is part of my Melancholy Forests series.

Trembling Shadows of a Dark World by B.Held

from "In the Dark World" by Haniel Long

The swaying, the trembling,
the branches interlocking—
these are but shadows, only you and I,
before we were born,
after we die.

Icicle Melting—Darkly + Angus McGregor

2009-11-06T10:08:00.003-07:00

This icicle reminds of the icicle that Angus McGregor “gripped in his hand.”

Icicle Melting—Darkly by B.Held

"Angus McGregor" by Lew Sarett

Angus McGregor lies brittle as ice,
With snow tucked up to his jaws,
Somewhere tonight where the hemlocks moan
And crack in the wind like straws.

Angus went cruising the woods last month,
With a blanket-roll on his back,
And never an ax, a dirk, a gun,
Or a compass in his pack.

“The hills at thirty below have teeth;
McGregor,” I said, “you’re daft
To tackle the woods like a simple child.”
But he looked at me and laughed.

He flashed his teeth in a grin and said:
“The earth is an open book;
I’ve followed the woods for forty years,
I know each cranny and crook.

I’ve battled her weather, her winds, her brutes,
I’ve stood with them toe to toe;
I can beat them back with my naked fist
And answer them blow for blow.”

Angus McGregor sleeps under the stars,
With an icicle gripped in his hand,
Somewhere tonight where the grim-lipped peaks
Brood on a haggard land.

Oh, the face of the moon is dark tonight,
And dark the gaunt wind’s sigh;
And the hollow laughter troubles me
In the wild wolves’ cry.

Hiding Place + Icicle

2009-11-02T13:44:00.005-07:00

I have a hiding place when spring marches in. . . .

Hiding Place by B.Held

from "Icicle" by Tori Amos

Icicle, Icicle
Where are you going
I have a hiding place when spring marches in
Will you keep watch for me
I hear them calling
Gonna lay down
Gonna lay down

Unfold + I Am Much Too Alone in This World, Yet Not Alone

2009-10-26T11:12:00.005-07:00

Doesn't everyone want to unfold?

Unfold by B.Held

from "I Am Much Too Alone in This World, Yet Not Alone" by Rainer Maria Rilke

I want to mirror your image to its fullest perfection,
never be blind or too old
to uphold your weighty wavering reflection.
I want to unfold.

Glitter Meets Pele + Howl

2009-10-20T12:08:00.006-07:00

In the machinery of night. . . .

Glitter Meets Pele by B.Held

from "Howl" by Allen Ginsberg

angelheaded hipsters burning for the ancient
heavenly connection to the starry
dynamo in the machinery of night

The Dead Land + The Waste Land

2009-10-09T14:51:00.005-07:00

Memory and desire are stirring viciously.

This image is part of my Melancholy Forests series.

The Dead Land by B.Held

from "The Waste Land" by T.S. Eliot

April is the cruelest month, breeding
Lilacs out of the dead land, mixing
Memory and desire, stirring
Dull roots with spring rain.

Of Plumbing Raw + Tale of a Tub

2009-10-06T12:30:00.003-07:00

Shatters the fabulous stars and makes us real. . . .

Of Plumbing Raw by B.Held

"Tale of a Tub" by Sylvia Plath

The photographic chamber of the eye
records bare painted walls, while an electric light
lays the chromium nerves of plumbing raw;
such poverty assaults the ego; caught
naked in the merely actual room,
the stranger in the lavatory mirror
puts on a public grin, repeats our name
but scrupulously reflects the usual terror.

Just how guilty are we when the ceiling
reveals no cracks that can be decoded? when washbowl
maintains it has no more holy calling
than physical ablution, and the towel
dryly disclaims that fierce troll faces lurk
in its explicit folds? or when the window,
blind with steam, will not admit the dark
which shrouds our prospects in ambiguous shadow?

Twenty years ago, the familiar tub
bred an ample batch of omens; but now
water faucets spawn no danger; each crab
and octopus—scrabbling just beyond the view,
waiting for some accidental break
in ritual, to strike—is definitely gone;
the authentic sea denies them and will pluck
fantastic flesh down to the honest bone.

We take the plunge; under water our limbs
waver, faintly green, shuddering away
from the genuine color of skin; can our dreams
ever blur the intransigent lines which draw
the shape that shuts us in? absolute fact
intrudes even when the revolted eye
is closed; the tub exists behind our back:
its glittering surfaces are blank and true.

Yet always the ridiculous nude flanks urge
the fabrication of some cloth to cover
such starkness; accuracy must not stalk at large:
each day demands we create our whole world over,
disguising the constant horror in a coat
of many-colored fictions; we mask our past
in the green of Eden, pretend future's shining fruit
can sprout from the navel of this present waste.

In this particular tub, two knees jut up
like icebergs, while minute brown hairs rise
on arms and legs in a fringe of kelp; green soap
navigates the tidal slosh of seas
breaking on legendary beaches; in faith
we shall board our imagined ship and wildly sail
among sacred islands of the mad till death
shatters the fabulous stars and makes us real.

Unextinguished Flames + I Loved You

2009-10-05T12:47:00.004-07:00

Always remember the flames that burn quietly within the soul.

Unextinguished Flames by B.Held

"I loved you" by Alexander Pushkin

I loved you; and perhaps I love you still,
The flame, perhaps, is not extinguished; yet
It burns so quietly within my soul,
No longer should you feel distressed by it.
Silently and hopelessly I loved you,
At times too jealous and at times too shy.
God grant you find another who will love you
As tenderly and truthfully as I.

Hope and Lost Feathers + Hope Is the Thing with Feathers

2009-10-01T09:27:00.006-07:00

Fly high and never stop.

Hope and Lost Feathers by B.Held

"Hope is the thing with feathers" by Emily Dickinson

"Hope" is the thing with feathers—
That perches in the soul—
And sings the tune without the words—
And never stops—at all—

And sweetest—in the Gale—is heard—
And sore must be the storm—
That could abash the little Bird
That kept so many warm—

I've heard it in the chillest land—
And on the strangest Sea—
Yet, never, in Extremity,
It asked a crumb—of Me.

The Unknown and Beyond + The Waking

2009-09-25T09:56:00.003-07:00

Into the unknown. . . .

The Unknown and Beyond by B.Held

from "The Waking" by Theodore Roethke

I wake to sleep, and take my waking slow.
I feel my fate in what I cannot fear.
I learn by going where I have to go.

Fireflies + Susquehanna

2009-09-21T12:31:00.008-07:00

I love fireflies.

Fireflies by B.Held

"Susquehanna" by Liz Rosenberg

Those many dark nights in our wedding house.
Hundreds of them—like fireflies—
above the quiet road till dawn,
and still I can't remember even
one of the naked trips he made downstairs
to bring me back a glass of water:
aged, sagging, fly-footed one.
Then the dog would sneak into our room
and groan and settle his bones down
on the wood floor, heavily.

I knew we were all going to die
but not then, and not right away;
because in those days
there were more days to come.
I thought I could not
run out of them.

Purple Skies Leading Home + Entrance

2009-09-16T12:59:00.006-07:00

Yours is the last house before the far-off. . . .

Purple Skies Leading Home by B.Held

"Entrance" by Rainer Maria Rilke

Whoever you are: in the evening step out
of your room, where you know everything;
yours is the last house before the far-off:
whoever you are.
With your eyes, which in their weariness
barely free themselves from the worn-out threshold,
you lift very slowly one black tree
and place it against the sky: slender, alone.
And you have made the world. And it is huge
and like a word which grows ripe in silence.
And as your will seizes on its meaning,
tenderly your eyes let go . . .

Hidden Anguish + Love Constant Beyond Death

2009-09-14T15:02:00.003-07:00

Every time I saw this statue, I thought it looked as if it had a terrible secret full of anguish.

Hidden Anguish by B.Held

"Love Constant Beyond Death" by Francisco De Quevedo

The final shadow that will close my eyes
will in its darkness take me from white day
and instantly untie the soul from lies
and flattery of death, and find its way,
and yet my soul won't leave its memory
of love there on the shore where it has burned:
my flame can swim cold water and has learned
to lose respect for laws' severity.
My soul, whom a God made his prison of,
my veins, which a liquid humor fed to fire,
my marrows, which have gloriously flamed,
will leave their body, never their desire;
they will be ash but ash in feeling framed;
they will be dust but will be dust in love.

Dark Tower + Eight O'Clock

2009-09-09T07:15:00.006-07:00

It's beautiful yet somewhat frightening.

Dark Tower by B.Held

from "Eight O'Clock" by A.E. Housman

And then the clock collected in the tower
Its strength, and struck.

Cemetery Stroll + The Erlking

2009-09-02T16:10:00.005-07:00

A haunting pairing:

Cemetery Stroll by B.Held

"The Erlking" by Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe

Who rides so late through the grisly night?
'Tis a father and child, and he grasps him tight;
He wraps him close in his mantle's fold,
And shelters the boy from the piercing cold.

"My son, why thus to my arm dost cling?"
"Father, dost thou not see the erlie-king?
The king with his crown and his long black train!"
"My son, 'tis a streak of the misty rain!"

"Come hither, thou darling! Come, go with me!
Fine games know I that I'll play with thee;
Flowers many and bright do my kingdoms hold,
My mother has a robe of gold."

"O Father, dear Father! And dost thou not hear
What the erlie-king whispers so low in mine ear?"
"Calm, calm thee, my boy, it is only the breeze,
As it rustles the withered leaves under the trees!"

"Wilt thou go, bonny boy, wilt thou go with me?
My daughters shall wait on thee daintily;
My daughters around thee in dance shall sweep,
And rock thee and kiss thee and sing thee to sleep!"

"O Father, dear Father! And dost thou not mark,
The erlie-king's daughters move by in the dark?"
"I see it, my child; but it is not they,
'Tis the old willow nodding its head so gray."

"I love thee! Thy beauty it charms me so;
And I'll take thee by force, if thou wilt not go!"
"O Father, dear Father, he's grasping me—
My heart is as cold as cold can be!"

The father rides swiftly—with terror he gasps—
The sobbing child in his arms he clasps;
He reaches the castle with spurring and dread;
But alack! In his arms the child lay dead!

A Storm Is Coming + Storm

2009-08-27T09:58:00.007-07:00

Storms by the sea are utterly fantastic.

A Storm Is Coming by B.Held

from "Storm" by Rainer Maria Rilke

When the clouds, driven by storms,
stampede:
skies of a hundred daytimes
above a single day—:

In a Sea of Trouble + Will, Lost in a Sea of Trouble

2009-08-18T09:19:00.005-07:00

Looking out at the sea, I remembered Archilochos' wise poem.

In a Sea of Trouble by B.Held

"Will, lost in a sea of trouble" by Archilochos

Will, lost in a sea trouble,
Rise, save yourself from the whirlpool
Of the enemies of willing.
Courage exposes ambushes.
Steadfastness destroys enemies.
Keep your victories hidden.
Do not sulk over defeat.
Accept good. Bend before evil.
Learn the rhythm which binds all men.

Watching over the Harem + The Peace of Wild Things

2009-08-12T16:32:00.006-07:00

As I captured this moment, I somberly realized the peace of wild things.

Watching over the Harem by B.Held

"The Peace of Wild Things" by Wendell Berry

When despair for the world grows in me
and I wake in the night at the least sound
in fear of what my life and my children's lives may be,
I go and lie down where the wood drake
rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.
I come into the peace of wild things
who do not tax their lives with forethought
of grief. I come into the presence of still water.
And I feel above me the day-blind stars
waiting with their light. For a time
I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.

Descending into Abstraction + Death Stands Above Me

2009-08-06T10:16:00.009-07:00

I'm still haunted by this photograph. The color disintegration conveys a loss of consciousness (into abstraction).

Descending into Abstraction by B.Held

"Death Stands Above Me" by Walter Savage Landor

Death stands above me, whispering low
I know not what into my ear;
Of his strange language all I know
Is, there is not a word of fear.

Sticking with You + I'm Sticking with You

2009-07-21T10:15:00.007-07:00

When I discovered these two children playing together by a city fountain in Seattle, I immediately thought of the lyrics from “I’m Sticking with You” by the Velvet Underground. Just as the song suggests, these children (along with their large pink umbrella) were inseparable.

Sticking with You by B.Held

from "I'm Sticking with You" by The Velvet Underground

I'm sticking with you
'Cos I'm made out of glue
Anything that you might do
I'm gonna do too

Quiescent + Keeping Quiet

2009-07-14T11:55:00.008-07:00

Neruda's work is exquisite. I hope you enjoy this pairing.

Quiescent by B.Held

"Keeping Quiet" by Pablo Neruda

Now we will count to twelve
and we will all keep still.

This one time upon the earth,
let's not speak any language,
let's stop for one second,
and not move our arms so much.

It would be a delicious moment,
without hurry, without locomotives,
all of us would be together
in a sudden uneasiness.

The fishermen in the cold sea
would do no harm to the whales
and the peasant gathering salt
would look at his torn hands.

Those who prepare green wars,
wars of gas, wars of fire,
victories without survivors,
would put on clean clothing
and would walk alongside their brothers
in the shade, without doing a thing.

What I want shouldn't be confused
with final inactivity:
life alone is what matters,
I want nothing to do with death.

If we weren't unanimous
about keeping our lives so much in motion,
if we could do nothing for once,
perhaps a great silence would
interrupt this sadness,
this never understanding ourselves
and threatening ourselves with death,
perhaps the earth is teaching us
when everything seems to be dead
and then everything is alive.

Now I will count to twelve
and you keep quiet and I'll go.

Scar Tissue + Scars

2009-07-07T16:01:00.007-07:00

I immediately thought of William Stafford's "Scars" after I took this photograph.

Scar Tissue by B.Held

"Scars" by William Stafford

They tell how it was, and how time
came along, and how it happened
again and again. They tell
the slant life takes when it turns
and slashes your face as a friend.

Any wound is real. In church
a woman lets the sun find
her cheek, and we see the lesson:
there are years in that book; there are sorrows
a choir can't reach when they sing.

Rows of children lift their faces of promise,
places where the scars will be.

Lilac Fluidity + Upon a Lilac Sea

2009-06-29T11:00:00.007-07:00

The photograph highlighted the smooth fluidity of the water, which allowed it to pair elegantly with Dickinson's "Upon a Lilac Sea."

Lilac Fluidity by B.Held

"Upon a Lilac Sea" by Emily Dickinson

Upon a Lilac Sea
To toss incessantly
His Plush Alarm
Who fleeing from the Spring
The Spring avenging fling
To Dooms of Balm

Transparent Silence + The Bird

2009-06-22T12:19:00.009-07:00

An alluring pairing:

Transparent Silence by B.Held

"The bird" by Octavio Paz

In transparent silence
day was resting:
the transparency of space
was silence's transparency.
Motionless light of the sky was soothing
the growth of the grass.
Small things of earth, among the stones,
under identical light, were stones
Time sated itself in the minute.
And in the absorbed stillness
noonday consumed itself.

And a bird sang, slender arrow.
The sky shivered a wounded silver breast,
the leaves moved,
and grass awoke.
And I knew that death was an arrow
let fly from an unknown hand
and in a flicker of an eye we die.