As I’ve stated before, Wallace Stevens is one of my all-time favorite poets. I was first introduced to his work upon reading “Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird” and in countless ways, that single poem has influenced the moods I’ve attempted to capture in my own writing. In many ways, that single poem has also influenced my photography and digital pieces. Though I rank “Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird” as a touchstone poem—one I read on numerous occasions—I can say, happily, that there are other poems as well. On one of my casual strolls from work to the subway, I happened to divert myself. I walked through the glitz, shimmer, and half-hidden grime of Chicago’s Gallery District, and found a number of subjects to photograph. Some—select few—have already made it into my gallery, and others will arrive, in time. As I left the little clot of galleries taking shelter on either side of an elevated rail line, I happened to pass an exclusive, up-scale boutique with a focus on office furniture. The sort of office furniture one would install in some trendy study. I wasn’t very interested in the displays, but I was halted by the presence of two objects on the glass face of a table so expensive that it didn’t have a price tag. I wasn’t interested in the table. I was taken, instead, by the objects placed upon it; I don’t know what they are. Vases, perhaps…or something else. I don’t really care what they are. What they inspired was far more valuable to me than the near-abstractions they represented. In another expression of brilliance penned by Wallace Stevens, we are offered a simple study of two pears. Indeed, the poem itself is called, simply enough: “Study of Two Pears.” It shares a structure in common with “Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird”, but unlike it’s companion poem, it begins with a phrase in Latin and then proceeds to describe in Zen-like detail, little emotional tableaus involving pears. These are not pears. But there is a certain pear-ish quality to these up-market things. I found myself reciting “Study of Two Pears” as I snapped photos of two non-pears, and this is one of my favorites of those photos. It has lingered in digital limbo long enough, and I figured it’s high time that it sees the light of digital day. And so… …here it is, and in honor of one of my favorite poets, I’ll simply offer it as a study of two shapes. * Though I’m posting this now, I’m unable to comment until closer to the weekend; during that time, I hope to catch up on the galleries here, and until then, thank you for viewing, reading, and commenting, and I hope you’re all having a great week.