Through a Litany of Filtered Light

Through a Litany of Filtered Light

When it comes to nature
there is no half measure,
no illusion or suggestion.
You follow kangaroos, ducks,
bobtails, the weed choke on deadwood.
You enter fragility, old ghost trails,
settler's huts, cold granite
– that other world –
through a litany of filtered light.

Nature sways you to spring,
to look eye-to-open-bud
your breath passing over the lilac
of fringe lilies, plush cat's paws.
And how to proceed while others
choose to speak? Everyone knowing
you're an amateur will walk away.
You know it's guesswork and pivot
from the group, finding sights and
sounds as evidence for a poem.
You have come to this world
in deep thought,
saying nothing,
except
the day's walk is variously selected
for this –
camera lens
taking words to the page
as if they mean something.

3rd draft Photographs taken by Helen Hagemann © 2015