.
16th and Wood, West Oakland: photo by Dave Glass (Dizzy Atmosphere), 19 October 2009
the rain comes down first in color,
then in black and white,
then in black and white,
just as it should.
and note carefully,
how the encroaching shadows
move with you, quick and certain,
like a predator about to pounce.
and how
under the guise of departing
for some unknown destination
people stand and wait
everybody comes and goes into the light
into the bardo of what’s next
and note carefully,
how the encroaching shadows
move with you, quick and certain,
like a predator about to pounce.
and how
under the guise of departing
for some unknown destination
people stand and wait
everybody comes and goes into the light
into the bardo of what’s next
Hazen Robert Walker: "the rain comes down...", 9 February 2014
Washington and 9th Street, Oakland, California: photo by Dave Glass (Dizzy Atmosphere), 1977; posted 21 May 2013
Two thumbs up. Curtis
ReplyDeletea transitional and permanent feeling...
ReplyDeleteThanks Curtis. And thank you, Tom for all that you do.
ReplyDelete"Everybody comes and goes into the light"
ReplyDeleteWonderful stuff, Hazen.
How the body holds itself in the first photograph.
In that second shot you can smell that lovely scent of wet streets.
More rain.
Love it!
ReplyDeleteMuch appreciated, WB. And thanks also for the link to the Go Betweens. Apt in so many ways.
ReplyDeleteOne toe in the bardo every night around here.
ReplyDeleteHazen has been illuminating our collective endarkenment since, if I remember correctly, the Original Flood.
Every time I think of the late great Grant McLennan and the Go Betweens I think of this lovely song:
Robert Forster and Grant McLennan play an acoustic version of 'Cattle & Cane' and talk about writing a song about growing up in Queensland while living in London
Wonderful poem! It calls for multiple readings, and with each iteration, nuances rise to the surface and take shape. There is a powerful synergy between text and photography, and a word that comes to mind is “liminal.” I look forward to more poetry from Hazen!
ReplyDelete