there's so much space. 27 rooms, including the basement ones. 13-foot ceilings. when i went to college and had to share that dinky room, i could hardly breathe. i'm used to space, and light. it makes life glorious.
outside, my brother and i used to roam freely, 'til we heard the bell calling us home for dinner. playing in the streams and overturned trees in the ravines. in the winter, sledding down perilous cornrow peak. painting the entire interior of the chicken coop with neon graffiti, early 1980's style. running up and down the stairs between the floors of the big barn. hide and seek. bloody murder around the house. fox and hens. it was so free - our sense of time and space magically expanded by both childhood and location: home.
this weekend, i wandered as briskly as i could outside (it's cold - it hurt to breathe!), snapping photos of things around the farm. the snow made them still-lifes, looking older and smaller than i remembered.
i look back at the house, and realize one thing hasn't changed - the warm glow emanating from within isn't only light - it's love.
copyright 2006, jessica voigts
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Comments: 22
kr - you will not regret reading that book. it stays with me. i can see the path down to their pond, in my mind. oh. time to read it again!
This isn't necessary and in my opinion capsizes an otherwise great piece of writing. Maybe I'm just too much of a curmudgeon but save sentimentality for the reader. Read my articles THE ART OF STUMBLING - I'm curious what a fine writer like yourself has to say about them. Take a look at John Walters work on gather.com also. He has a strong sense of style.
As always I love your photos!
My first thought on reading this was , "I feel the same way about the house I grew up in" But, I pondered Nathan's comment and I agree that it is (should be) unnecessary to draw a conclusion. Leave it to the reader to do that. But i like the "warm glow eminating from within" part. I can feel it in contrast to the pictures. So perhaps something like "I feel the warm glow emanating from within and I am soothed"
I have to agree with Nathan and WM. When I first read that line, I thought it seemed a bit out of place. I think in a piece like this, emotion is better expressed through the pictures and allegory like you did throughout most of your entry. Great shots though!
jim - will try to do a B&W in my picasa photo program. that would be cool - i didn't even think of it! i hardly ever manipulate my pictures. i have a lot to learn.
wilhelmine - yes - culture shock, when you find yourself in much less space. No Thanks!