Several
days ago I arrived at the beach a little earlier
than usual. As far as I could see in all directions I was
the first person on the beach that day.
This ‘moment’
inspired many thoughts including this poem.
24
July 2011
On that Day
On that day,
when the
jagged palms stood stark
against
the pink glow of morning light,
and the
birds slept;
when the drained tide could recede
no further
and grey
seas chopped and rolled before a final
froth-edged
spreading;
when the
smooth-washed beach curved
and
merged with the distant
brooding
hills;
when
silvered leaves and shells lay bedded snug
with
piled pearls of glistening sand
crabbed
from the world beneath;
when the
full moon welcomed the first shafts of light
that
would soon shape the rim
of
the world:
on that
day,
when the
sea sang its song of hope and renewal,
mine was
the first footprint
in the
sand.
Tim Murray
______________________________________________
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Day 12 0f 2012
 
I currently have some fixation with the Kodak Brownie
camera. I have made considerable reference to it in my
previous posts. The one below is identical to 'the Brownie'
my father used to take all photos (and too seldomly) of
our family when I was a child. I think this is the reason
I am so obsessed with this camera. I have some very
significant photos of my early life, which on those rare
occurences were 'snapped' on the brownie.
Those childhood photos are my only visual connection with
my infant days, and the occasional photo after that. Those
photos were always kept in a special wooden box which
would appear on rare occasions, and each photo was treated
with wonder and respect. I still have some of those photos.
Now that we live in the digital age, where photos are so
common and readily available, the mystique surrounding
my childhood photos is no longer felt with today's "snaps"'
However, the capturing of moments in my life still leaves
me with an enchanting feeling, which has the magic of
holding still the fleeting moments which are forever
vanishing unless we somehow hold on to them.
 And it is this little Brownie, in all its unpretentious simplicity, which has enabled me to see my past and reconnect with visual memories which would have otherwise been lost... forever....and that is a long time and an almost frightening thought. In fact those early photos are my memories!! |
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Thursday, January 12, 2012
Day 12 of 2012 - capturing those moments in "images"
Life is full of fleeting moments which if not captured vanish forever.
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I have been reading the poems of Tim Murray and like the way he captures those living moments, which we all share. Today's poem particularly appeals to me, and I can relate to it so readily. As a fisherman, I have walked those early empty beaches so often. This poem reminds me of those very early walks. Thank you Tim.
ReplyDeleteI really like these lines:
"when the drained tide could recede no further
and grey seas chopped and rolled before a final
froth-edged spreading"