shadow

I've been working late (yet again) and thinking about shadows. Also, Annette (who is in Melbourne consorting with artists, street artists and studio artists - imagine that for a moment) read me something intriguing about shadows.

There is the visual take on this: dark and light, the mingling and emerging of one and the other, the moving edges. There is also the sound. There's a little edge in the midst of the word but the consonant 'd' is tempered by its surroundings, the 'a' and 'ow' and the sibiliance. To me, it is a low pitched word.

Shadow is the artist's friend, especially artists working with film.

It is also about time, which is what a poem is working with.

Me and my shadow, but forget the avenue. We're putzing around the slightly cool old house tonight. So, on our ownsome if not our lonesome.

I am a bit dark at the moment but people, kindly, have been trying to talk me through it. It's of no particular moment in the great scheme of things, so no need to go into the reasons, more my own disappointment with myself. And that what I wanted was something I also wanted for some other people as well. Lah lah, way it goes.

Hence, thinking about poems and time and shadows - movement and seeing/not quite seeing.

Comments

Andrew Burke said…
Ah, Jill, I have found the 'not quite seeing' area to be illuminating. Full-on focus does not let in the imagery and subsequent thought-patterns of the shadowy not-quite-seen. When I was younger, a squint would make more interesting phrases come up from the page - but as I grow older my eyesight does it for me. I see what my sob/un/con wants, and lay it down like fish upon the jetty. Throw back what you like but eat the rest.
... Remember Lamont Cranston?

Andre de Shadows
Jill Jones said…
Ah, Andresz, The Shadow knows (who knows what evil ... etc).

Back to the point - when I typed 'seeing/not seeing' I looked at it (note, a look) wondering if that's what I meant then looked again and decided that it was what I meant. My eyesight has also adjusted me to this (in other words, it's crap eyesight).

"take what you need and you leave the rest ... etc" Of course, who knows what you need? And you can't always get what you want.

At that point, I better quit. Cheers, Blind Lemon Jonesy

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