Where the Night is Born by Chipka
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Description
Night creeps in swiftly here…you never notice it on the horizon; it is a reverse shadow that spreads outward…from the center of the city…outward from the winding, cobbled streets or the strips of asphalt, gleaming with tram tracks like bizarre strands of spider’s silk. Night rises, in accordance with designs that stand askew from common expectation.
Darkness is a welcome thing here; a place to shelter. For its age, Prague has so few ghosts, so few specters to make the night into an interminable span of screeching, screaming terrors. Ah, but Prague possesses its own terrors: look into its history and you’ll find Soviet tanks and students who set themselves aflame in protest for freedoms that were lost despite all efforts to hold them. Prague remembers terror, all in the names of occupation, theft, or the expansion of imperial borders. There are these things, and things more horrifying…but no ghosts, none belonging to that ectoplasmic species, anyway. And bearing this in mind, it is no wonder ,then, that the cellar bars and restaurants are often dark and windowless places…underground warrens suffused with the redolence of beer and tabak, expensive cologne, and the light, airy scent of women’s balms and lotions.
“This is my secret place,” Pavel said to me on our first night in his favorite bar.
It was a comfortable place, loud with the seductive, undulant pulse of rakish dance beats and gospel-tinged lyrics. On our first night there, we were largely alone. There were couples in quiet, amatory conversations, intriguing pairs…men and women…men and men…elegant creatures of indeterminate gender… and as I looked around, the significance of my friend’s words struck me. This was his secret place, though I know that he’s never had anything to hide. In Prague, everyone has a secret place…a shelter from the constant, squealing rumble of trams and traffic. Every secret place seems to be a cellar.
“I like it here,” I told Pavel, somewhere between my first and second beer.
“Good,” Pavel said. “Because in the spring, I want to see you here, and I want to know that you live in my city.”
And with beer, I sealed my promise to do all that I could to stay. For my friends…one born in these magical Czech lands, and another--who through the irony of history and fate--will come to occupy Prague from the heart of Moscow itself. But he’ll do so without tanks, or the promise of violence; he‘ll come armed with his camera, and will stand as an unwitting accomplice in some of my own artistic endeavors. I remember that beer, and the promise I made while drinking it. I remember Pavel, half sprawled on a couch that was too soft for anything but decadent relaxation. I remember the DJ, and the tall/gorgeous woman who said that the night would be perfect if Pavel and I kissed.
I kissed Pavel.
I kissed the tall/gorgeous woman, and learned her name.
If my friend from Moscow had been there on that night, I would have kissed him too.
It’s what you do in Prague--you see it everywhere…people kissing.
It’s what you do in a city where night spreads upward from the streets and the cellars, and paints the sky with stars.
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As always, thank you for viewing and reading, and hopefully everyone is on the verge of a fantastic weekend.
Comments (25)
photostar
Oh, the places where everyone you meet becomes an instant old friend and where you never tire of the comaradarie of those around you. Great capture, Chip. Always a pleasure to view these 'old world' places.
beachzz
Oh, Chip, you tell the story so well, I can feel it and I can almost hear the sounds and see these people, kissing, embracing, whatever seems to be happening in that instant. The foto is perfect as well, dark, moody, but just right!!
Rainbowgirl
As always not only a beautiful - and in this case cozy - photograph full of atmosphere but also a breathtaking narrative! With your art you take one to the place you write about and make one wish to come back again and again. Marvellous Chip!
Jofurowa
Very nice red atmosphere. The lights are great.
romanceworks
Yes, cold beer, warm conversation, special friends ... and kissing, suits this candlelit bar perfectly. Great story and shot.
SSoffia
LOVE YOUR NIGHT CAPTURES & LOVE RED COLORS :) BRAVO CHIP :)
DukeNukem2005
It is a very beautiful image! Remarkable work of art! Excellent! Five stars!
Heathcroft
Warm study in more senses than the picture. Your prose is poetic and captures the essence of the scene.
auntietk
Yummmmm. This is a wonderful shot. Your prose takes me there even more than your photography. I SEE the room through the photograph, but I FEEL the room through your writintg. Beautiful work, my friend! (Oh - and if you see an American named Timmy working in a bar in Prague, tell him Trent's sister in Seattle said "hello!" That will freak him out, because he's never met me!) :)
krakosky
Nice place for drink a beer or beers, stunning work, well done!!
stolta
Very cosy!!!!
timtripp
have a slivowitz for me... great moody shot!
MagikUnicorn
Great place & shot
NekhbetSun
It's a wonderful "secret place" Chip....love this !!! ~ Hugs ~
NefariousDrO
Superb writing, as always, Chip. With words like that to accompany your wonderful photos, I think you could easily seduce anybody. Prague is a magical and enticing place when seen through your eyes.
scruffty
Great image,love the soft glow,gives you that quater to three feeling!
Janiss
Absolutely GORGEOUS Chip! And this is "my" colors.. I adore my friend!
rainbows
Oh! Chip, you know how much I love your night shots. Your writing moves me deeply. I feel as I am in the shadows listening to your conversation. Beautiful work dear Chip. hugs and a kiss. Di. xx
TombStonepl
Fantastic great work, picture got wonderfull POV, great colors and most of all a true atmosphere and mood that 100% suits Your story. Very good work my Friend!
francinechristophe
I like this one. And I shall read your text, later. No time now.
poconopixie
Stunning image of a scarlet lit bar, evoking feelings of passion and romance, very artfully mastered. Night shots are difficult, you have a great talent for them.
Mad-Mike
A place to take a sweetheart ~ very nice capture of this love den type of place.
JackSprat
This is a very evocative photo and narrative to accompany it.
KatesFriend
A wonderful story to a beautifully captured image of intimate night life. Prague may not have ghosts but I understand that it is one of those rare places with what might be described as two memories. One sometimes called Western which is the modern, progressive and enlightened. The other Eastern, bound to the ancient, the mystic and the mysterious.
sassydog
Intriguing photo painted even more full of mood & atmosphere with your narrative.