Young smokers, Southam Street
1956 North Kensington
Roger MAYNE
a slum street-scene in an affluent continent
poverty captured in sharp liveliness
a chance encounter exciting the photographer’s lens
a sense of grim existence comforted
by the sharing of secret pleasures
between two young smokers
lounging close as if on a private yacht
maybe, we did look like them, I don’t know:
cheeky, genuine, beautiful
yet, sometimes i wonder if
we were what we thought we were:
restless souls with unfinished business
from previous lifetimes; our own
documentary of destiny with a fragile plot
for a long time though i knew i was partly
somewhere else, something else — a pine tree
deep in a winding forest
out of focus in a misty distance
her curving trunk a defiance
in the face of a turbulent past
i live in my eastern skin
my eastern dreams, tossed up
in a landscape whose energy
i cannot control or even fathom, either in
the theatre of the streets, or
point of contact between the heavens and earth
Good Lord, Vera. So beautiful. This touched my heart deeply. And, man, this picture reminds me of the film, “Mickey Bo and Me”. My son had me watch it years ago. It is one of the absolutely sweetest most heartbreaking films. Your words touch my heart for different reasons though, but I think You would love that movie. I’ve wanted to show it to a few friends and have not ever been able to find it again. But anyway…..thank You so much for this. ❤️
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Thank you so much, Katy, I’ll check it out!
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Absolutely! And if You find it, please let me know where! My man would love that movie!!! 🙂
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🙂 I will.
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Thank You!!! 🙂
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