shadows and light

Solitude is not something you must hope for in the future. Rather, it is a deepening of the present, and unless you look for it in the present you will never find it.

Thomas Merton (1915-1968)monk, writer, photographer

'Tis not enough to help the feeble up, but to support them after.

William Shakespeare (1564-1616) dramatist, playwright and poet

Neither a man nor a crowd nor a nation can be trusted to act humanely or to think sanely under the influence of a great fear.

Bertrand Russell (1872-1970) author, mathematician, & philosopher

What a distressing contrast there is between the radiant intelligence of a child and the feeble mentality of the average adult.

Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) neurologist and founder of psychoanalysis

A friend is someone who dances with you in the sunlight, And walks with you in the shadows.

Anonymouse

Music expresses that which cannot be said and on which it is impossible to be silent.

Victor Hugo (1802-1885) poet, novelist, human rights activist

God appears, and God is Light,
To those poor souls who dwell in Night;
But does a Human Form display
To those who dwell in realms of Day.

William Blake (1757 - 1827) English engraver, illustrator, & poet

Keep your face always toward the sunshine - and shadows will fall behind you.

Walt Whitman (1819-1892) poet

notes on photos:

1. self portrait snapped while wandering along a (well marked) country road somewhere in the lehigh valley, pennsylvania, may 2008
2. steel road supports, chicago, october 2007
3. detail of agora a monumental sculptural installation of 106 iron cast figures in grant park by magdalena abakanowicz chicago october 2007
4. playground, cleveland june 2009
5. a portrait of two friends in liberty ny, may 2008
6. sax musician viewed from atop the centre pompidou, paris, october 2005
7. henry moore sculpture as part of the exhibit "moore in america" at the new york botanical garden, august 2008
8. family portrait. ever since em was a little girl we have been taking shadow portraits this one was taken somewhere in washington state, august 1999
   

joni of course! what other song could I possibly have chosen?

10 AM addendum: I can't believe I forgot to include a stanza (or two) from one of my favorite childhood poems, my shadow by robert louis stevenson. well here is an audio version of the poem in it's entirety - I was hoping there would have been a version of stevenson performing it himself, since stevenson lived in the last half of the 19th century, I guess that would be asking for a lot!