The Entryway by Chipka
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Description
There is hollow thunder, as always: a near-constant noise that is strangely subliminal. Air traffic. I am not far from the airport here. Traffic bound from cities as easterly as the lake winds will make its way to ground. Over there. Other planes make their way from the south. When the sun and any afternoon moment are in perfect conjunction, the approaching planes will catch a flare of light: blaze into searing incandescence, and fade back into cold, metallic gray. Their whispered thunder remains constant through such displays. At night, there are no such sun-flares, and the planes sound lonely.
Do you remember how we would sit on the rocks by the lake and watch the planes come in? We would share tea or fruit juice in garish plastic bottles. We would share chocolate, or those strange round pretzel-cookie-bread things born in your homeland. Once, we shared carry-out sushi, and overcome by moods you couldn't name, you pulled off your shoes and socks and dipped your feet into the lake. To see if fish would nibble your toes, you said. None did. The lake's fish prefer the deeper waters, and those in the shallows are profoundly disinterested in pale human flesh tinged with a doodle of sweat and the scent of expensive shoe leather. On other nights--rare, though seasonal ones--we would find those same rocks and watch not planes, but meteor showers spewed from the constellation of Leo. The Leonids come with some regularity. Three years separate our birthdays, and as we celebrate, three days separate us as well. There is strange symmetry in this, as it means we are both children of Leo: ours is the fifth celestial house of the zodiac, a domain of fiery passions and deep, unsettling emotion. Love is often tempestuous for us. Hate is beneath our dignity.
I think of this because I hear airplanes tonight. It is cold. Winter is not a season fit for Leos. Of every House, only ours is dominated by the sun. Other zodiological signs must content themselves with the planets that circle our sun, and in one case, a dry/dead/dusty moon. We are lucky to have such warmth, and it is because of airplanes that I think of this.
You are so far away now. Or is it me who stands at such a distance from you? It doesn't matter. We are unable to stand shoulder to shoulder and embrace one another in secret, amatory comfort beneath sheets of fine Egyptian cotton. It will happen. Soon. Just as surely as the sun will rise. Now, I walk by a place of cold, dead stone: the house of a thing that pretends to be God. You and I are Leos: God is what lives in the sweat that we share, and in the kisses we spit onto one another's tongues. But this house in its austerity comforts me. It is silent. Empty inside. But its entryway is lit as if by some unspoken promise. It is cold, but there is--undoubtedly--warmth inside.
There will come a day when we will hear the hollow thunder of air traffic, or maybe we will watch meteors blazing across the sky above the Kremlin. But for now, I will walk by this church in the dark. I will pause and listen to airplanes, and later--in an hour, two hours, or three, I will sleep. And, as often occurs when I am awake, I will dream of you.
***
Oh, the things that ooze out of my mind late at night when I look at pictures and try to figure out what to write. Hopefully you've enjoyed it and thank you for viewing, reading, and commenting, and thank you to those who have marked my previous post as favorites.
Comments (30)
bimm3d
wonderful image!!
kgb224
Outstanding capture and story my friend.
mbz2662
A wonderful photo and story to send me off to bed :) Right now I am in a phase where I am loving night time photography. You see things in a ... hehe... much different light.
flora-crassella
wonderful light!!! Great shot!!!
claude19
I think I read a beautiful love letter, of the ski memories, which combines the reminiscences of love, hard hit by soaring aviosn a nearby airport. A curious connection you've made, I think, between that Leone Photo of the porch of a church and your astral flights. I understand even better what you write, I am the last decan of Leo! In another dimension, I come to this constellation, since I still need to put the light in my digital images. Thank you again for this story that has caused in me a change of scenery ... a beautiful evening as your writing!
PSDuck
Good photo and great writing. Very reflective.
helanker
Chip, you make me remember a time more than 30 years ago when my hubby and I were sitting near the highway close to the aerport watching the planes going up in the sky. We also brought snacks and soda. It was nice evenings. Thanks for bring back some memories :-) And the image is such a beautiful one. Silence, peaceful. Would like to know what was behind the doors :)
durleybeachbum
Gosh, Chip! I wish my mind oozed as beautifully as yours! It does quite a bit of it in the night and I suppose I should sit up, put the light on, and jot down the idea for later. Great pic, too.
prutzworks
like the composition anf golden light
tamburro
Fantastic light, great capture!!! Hugs:)
Littlejock
very impressive lighting work. Hugs
gypsyflame
I just got up from bed and read this, even before my morning coffee and now I can start my day out with a smile. Such a beautiful love letter. I read your writings and I wonder why I have all these thoughts yet when I go to put them on paper they just don't sound as beautiful as when they were in my head. You do have a way with words Chip, brings the reader right in to your imagination and I love it so much...wonderful work Chip.
auntietk
Beautiful and powerful. This was a joy to read, and left me feeling peaceful and at home. Image and text fit perfectly. Your talent shines through in everything you do, my friend!
Sea_Dog
Wow! Great work - the writing is so deeply felt I feel like a eavesdropper for reading it - and the image punctuates your emotions and words so perfectly. Great job, Chip.
Meisiekind
Joyful reading indeed and a most wonderful image Chip... I love the moody light yet it is also so peaceful! Has Tara told you about March/April yet?
beachzz
Who wouldn't want something like this written to them? It's full of love and joy and life, and memories that make a heart melt. Beautiful---both words and your foto!!
nowadayhero
Great photo! So wellcoming...
ladyraven23452
Still wateing for the book with photos by you way not.
anaber
Yeah! Happily I could read you:-) Translater top to bottom and bottom to top...but YESSS! And i know that feeling, that is, to be sat and watch... and wait to watch, over and over again...for some different reason,i used to do that with trains and if i can, i still do... and i will do !! Then..your writting touched me entirely, because the emotion,the hope and the warmth you transmit there. About that place where you find the silent, the empty space, cold and somehow warmth at a time, so, it is to me, the encounter with some peace, so needed sometimes...and that place has three doors, curiously, or not:-) because, the number three is a magic number..and has something with mythical too! And that phrase you said ... Just as surely as the sun will rise... is filled with the magical strenght that only the soul has it ! And about your photograph? What can i say more that was already said?? It is wonderful with the light and the contrasts you captured! But,for me...the "entryway* is an entrance for so many and wonderful feelings! Thank you for that,Chip
mariogiannecchini
Great photo!Great writing!
MagikUnicorn
Very rich entrance ;-)
MrsLubner
An entrance...not just a way in but also an exit...a way out. Such an important part of life... great capture.
Markintosh
Excellent lighting and composition.
Hubba1
Awesome job on this one!
myrrhluz
You make me think of long talks with friends. That moment often deep into a conversation, when you begin to tell stories of memories to each other. One will start off, while the other listens spellbound. The first will finish her remembrance, a small silence then the other will respond from where the story took her into a new memory. When I read your words, I felt like I was listening in on one of those conversations and I was spellbound. Your words seem to flow extemporaneously, with beautiful rhythm as they move from thought to thought. I enjoyed reading this very much. Excellent picture as well. Beautiful detail, composition and light.
MrsRatbag
Oh Chip, I'm speechless. This is beautiful in every way!
frankie96
You really have a gift for putting feelings into words...
romanceworks
I hope that time, and many more, come again. Your musings are always so worth reading. And interesting photo- has an inviting warmth. CC
elfin14doaks
Great shot and your letter as well.
pauldeleu
Nice shot.