I once chanced upon a torn and abandoned old boot on a lonely beach. It told me a lot of stories. Like how in its younger days it was the cynosure of all eyes. So I took its photograph and began a Photo commune with it.
How do you make a dead boot live again
That’s what photography alchemy teaches you
It means converting time past into present joy
Where brass becomes choice gold
This starts when your feet gets the itch
Causing your ears to start ringing
your heart is also beating fast
Wonder calls from the wild.
So you dash out into the field.
To seek the unusual in the usual
Smartphone photography, camera photography
We’re all photographers now
Wonder draws you into the rivers of alchemy
Wonder makes you feel like a child again
You start to uncover a new world within an old one
I hope you haven’t lost your wonder.
Wonder makes you see the Taj Mahal at Makurdi
Niagara Falls is at Maradi
The Nile has taken over the Dubai desert
A wanderer told us snow now falls at Elele
My body is at Edunabon
But my eyes are on Edinburg
It’s like drinking Zobo at Musa”s place
And imagining that you are downing the Mocha at Starbucks.
It’s amazing how gold can be made out of brass.
Photography Alchemy and Communion in Cahoots
It makes you hear voices in the wind
It gives you insight into the inner world of bees
Next time you notice your emotions fluctuating
And your eyes keep zooming in and out on their own
Wonder is telling you that there is splendor in the doleful
Which you will see, if only you stop, look and listen.
SELAH
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3 Comments
Keji · June 3, 2023 at 9:29 pm
Life and nature has so much to be wondered at but most times, we are too busy and burdened to look.. Maybe I’ll start paying more attention to the little things around that have a loud voice.
Ovyay · June 4, 2023 at 2:35 am
That’s the point. We have to look and listen. Thanks so much for your comments
Angel · July 5, 2023 at 9:21 pm
The poem reminds me of this saying “Stop; and smell the roses”. This reminds us to pause and take time to appreciate what IS RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU, RIGHT NOW. This poem lays more emphasis on this. And I especially like the last lines of the poem about wonder and splendor in the doleful:
Next time you notice your emotions fluctuating
And your eyes keep zooming in and out on their own
Wonder is telling you that there is splendor in the doleful
Which you will see, if only you stop, look and listen.
I want to try harder to see and appreciate this wonder in every part of life— even in the seemingly mundane stuff. To be like a child with that wild-eyed look of wonder about everything and anything.