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Did you know that the human brain processes visuals 60,000 times faster than it processes text?
Memories of an
Outdoor Café
When I saw
the little café in Copenhagen, I knew I had to photograph it. Quickly, before
the image could disappear from my mind’s eye, I aimed my Leica at the
scene and captured it. The lighting was perfect.
“Another shot of a storefront?”
remarked my longtime partner and co-author Elizabeth Guy. “You must have a
million of them in your files. Don’t you think you’ve photographed enough of
them?”
“Maybe,”
I responded. ‘But you never know.
Someone might be able to use this photo some day.”
Six years
later, while we were developing a major project for a publisher of educational
materials, Elizabeth walked into my office and handed me a sheet of paper with
a poem and a photo printed on it. I hadn’t read the poem before that moment,
but I did recognize the photo I’d taken several years earlier.
I met him at an outdoor café
In Europe.
Copenhagen, I think.
We talked until the sun—
A scarlet wafer in the sky—
Disappeared.
That’s when he kissed me.
His breath was sweet:
Honey floating in the air.
When morning came,
I reached for him
In our little room
Above the café.
But, like the sun,
He’d disappeared.
Gone like the lovely night—
A misted memory.
Disappeared at morning rise—
Another shattered dream.
Ah, well, I sighed
And stretched
And thought:
Long distance relationships
Almost never work out.
--Elizabeth Guy
“That’s a
nice little poem,” I said. “I like the
ending. By the way, who was your lover with the sweet breath?”
Elizabeth
smiled. “There was no lover. Don’t be such a wise guy.”
“By the
way,” I continued, “Isn’t that one of
the photos I took while we were in Copenhagen? The one you complained about?
The same one about which you said, ‘Don’t you think you’ve photographed
enough storefronts?’” Truth to
tell, I was beginning to enjoy what I thought would be my moment of triumph.
Elizabeth
didn’t miss a beat. “That’s not what I said,” she responded. “That’s your
interpretation. The fact is, what I really said was: ‘I’m glad you took that
photo. I’m sure that some day it’ll provide inspiration for someone to write a
poem or other work.’ I just didn’t know it would be me.” She placed her hands
on her hips and smiled.
Knowing
that it would be futile to contradict her, I grinned at my partner and offered
up the ancient incantation behind which men always hide when they know they’ve
been outmaneuvered once again. “Yes,
dear. Of course you’re right,” I declared.
Coming Next Week and Every Week Thereafter
Don't miss our upcoming series of evocative photos and accompanying prompts that are sure to inspire writing both in and out of the classroom.
____________________________________
Reflect and Write contains more than 300 poems and
photos; keywords; quotations; either “Inspiration” or “Challenge” prompts; a
“Themes to Explore” section; a “Twelve Ways to Inspire Your Students” section;
a special “Internet Resources” section, and more. This collection will help
stimulate discussion that will trigger meaningful writing at many levels. Includes CD with photos and poems from the
book.
Reflect and
Write: 300 Poems and Photos to Inspire Writing by Hank Kellner and
Elizabeth Guy ISBN 978-1-61821-023-4, Prufrock Press, 2013, 153 pages,
$24.95. See More and order at http://www.prufrock.com/Reflect-and-Write-P1752.aspx.
Another Helpful
Source for Inspiration
Write
What You See: 99 Photos to Inspire Writing is a collection of photographs
and writing prompts designed to inspire writing. In addition to the many photos
and ideas it presents, this collection includes a section that cites “Ten Ways
to Use Reflect and Write” as well as a second section titled “How Some Teachers
Use Photos to Inspire Writing” An added bonus is a CD with photos and writing
prompts.
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