Onion Skin in Amber Light by Chipka
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Description
The rocky lands of Ůtef are a difficulty to onions and thus inconvenience for the Ůt’ēžen who dwell there. There were Ůt’hožai, once. They are dead: conquered by their neighbor-nation of Kását. There are other Ůt-nations: scatterlings, and the Ůt’ēžen are the hardest, heartiest of them. They are tempered by sunlight and the rocky desert at odds with their scrupulous and gentle demeanor. Onions are sacred to the Ůt’ēžen, and so their land is a great distress to them—too great a distance, they say, from the bogs and swamps of Ůtōrō: home.
Ůtōrō is dead now: overrun by rampant Kását.
Elül is my native home, but I have friends in the rocky, desert lands of Ůtef. I know their names; I know their swamp songs and their bog songs. I am allowed—through friendship with these people—to take a wife among them, and a brother too. I visit them often: as a trader and as a friend, and on each visit, I am given hospitable shelter by the man I have already claimed as my brother. He has taken a wife, and so she is my wife as well. The customs of my adopted people are complex and subtle, a boggle to my mind. They are customs of comfort, of civilized ease, and so no matter how complex, no matter how boggling, they are reassuring to me. My Brother’s name is Hej. Our wife is named Borá. Upon each of my visits to them, I bring onions.
“Hej has carved new doorposts,” Borá said to me, in confidence, as Hej—exhausted from a day of labor—slept in our common bed. “He hopes it will encourage you to stay; to make home with us and trade in reverse, to be our voice among the rich and the noble people of Elül. He hesitates to speak of this to you, because it is not his place to voice what may be a demand. But I am your wife as well as his, and it is my place to say what must be said. I don’t ask to make difficulty for you. I simply ask because Hej is your brother, and on the night after each of your departures, he frets and worries, pacing as if to stamp out some burning in his feet.
“You belong here. Elül claims your blood and your kinship. But Ůt’ēž gives you the Ůt’ēžen heart.”
On the following day, I find Hej in quiet meditation before the ancient shrine of the house. He has saved the empty husks of every onion I have brought from my other homeland. Even dry and lifeless, they are meaningful. He sits, like a lotus, naked to the waist and with bare feet; his hair, in the color of honeyed silk, has been gathered into a cascade of braids. It is husband’s hair, brother’s hair…each thin braid weighted with beads in the colors of blue and red: marriage and fealty. He has the muscle of a bull, but the manner of a poet, and now, seated in candle-light in the darkened shrine, he listens to the softness of a breeze at play in the dead skins of every onion I have ever brought into the house.
I know how to listen to the rustling, and I try to find meaning in the dry, rasping sound: it is like paper, and like insects, like the wings of honey-wasps or warrior-flies harrying some poor, defenseless horse. It is a magical sound, when heard with Ůt’ēž ears. It is a soft and quiet surprise for me to learn that I have grown ears enough to hear what my adopted people hear when they sit in quiet contemplation of onion skins in a subtle, soft breeze. In knowing how to listen, and how to look at such skins in the waver of candlelight, I know what it means for Hej to carve new doorposts.
I smile. “Yes,” I say, and Hej smiles. He knows the unasked question I have just answered.
***
It’s funny what happens when you look at an onion skin bathed in the yellow light of an LED embedded in the business end of a cigarette lighter. I rather like onion-skin inspiration, and I hope you’ve enjoyed this little foray into…well…into the land where onions are sacred.
As always, thank you for viewing, reading, enduring odd typography, and commenting, and I hope you’re all having a great end-of-the-week.
Comments (32)
efron_241
like a Zeppelin that came down.. Amazing Art
SerenityBlue
This is a most amazing image. Your talent continues to amaze me. ;)
evielouise
great render and creative ~~
lwperkins
An excellent story to go with the magical light of the onion!
GARAGELAND
Powerful and emotive...superb ...!!!!!!!!!
billcody
Amazing pic and an interesting story...
Orinoor
I don't think I'll ever look at an onion skin quite the same. That was a wonderful little piece of a story, I could sense the history in it.
auntietk
You have the ability to weave such richness into just a few short paragraphs, my friend! What a beautiful story, and the image is fabulous! I feel like I should set up a little shrine in the corner of a room (perhaps in the hot water heater closet, so it will be safe from prying eyes ... there's enough room in there) and worship a few onion skins. Fabulous work!
bimm3d
fine photo and perfect light!!
anianiani
Excellent art again
lick.a.witch
Perhaps I look rather deeper than is necessary but I really can't help feeling that were this actual planet inhabited by the people in your world/s it would be a far gentler place... ...and to worship onions? It doesn't get much better than that. I love the tale; I adore the people.. and it is a truly spiffy image. ^=^
helanker
OHHH YEZZ! That was MUUCH Better :-) A very lovely story to this magnificent shot. Love the light you gave it. I just wonder how you did it. Beautiful in all. I think I will post my onion shell today.. a not so dry one :-) Amazing that they are from the same plant.
durleybeachbum
Wonderful read, and a super image!
kgb224
A outstanding series of onion skin captures using different type's of lighting.
SSoffia
from now on, every time you cook will be careful with onion you dear friend has made a wonderful series with light texture I like a lot!!!!!
bakr
Amazing pic and an interesting story ,Excellent art
thecytron
AmaZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzing ambiance lighting!
sandra46
WONDERFUL, MAGIC SHOT
flora-crassella
very cool image!!!!!! GREAT!!!!!
LovelyPoetess
Fascinating tale, imaginative as always, well accompanied by your wonderful imagery. : )
RodS
Excellent art and imagination. Love what you've done with this onion skin in this series, Chip. Both the photography and writing are brilliant!
sharky_
Interesting image as well as story. Excellent lighting... Aloha
CoreyBlack
This came out great! I remember you at the desk making this after we got back the laundry the other day. I always like it when I see somebody doing something new and interesting. It then inspires me to look at my own stuff even more differently. Anyway, I like this a lot, and the writing is, as usual, first rate!
flavia49
splendid series
MrsRatbag
It's completely magical! I love this series you're doing!
dashboard_jehovah
Awesome work!
KatesFriend
Curious how the light seems to spill out of the skin. Rather a lot like the inspiration you garnered from it. You really have a terrific knack for capturing these things. I loved your story too. A carefully crafted slice of a person and society with much history and cultural detail. We are given many layers to contemplate. Perhaps we will return to this place again someday.
danapommet
Fantastic colors and lighting for this capture. Wonderful narratine also. Dana
stolta
Fantastic beautiful work,well done!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
mgtcs
Quite amazing my friend, excellent lighting and reflexions, a great view, loved it a lot!