As a composer and as a musician I’m a true believer – and this is not to be overly diplomatic – I’m a believer that there’s artistry in everything from a lawn gnome to a desk chair to a symphony to an Andy Warhol painting. There’s art in absolutely everything.
Passers By
by Carl Sandburg
Passers-by,
Out of your many faces
Flash memories to me
Now at the day end
Away from the sidewalks
Where your shoe soles traveled
And your voices rose and blent
To form the city’s afternoon roar
Hindering an old silence.
Passers-by,
I remember lean ones among you,
Throats in the clutch of a hope,
Lips written over with strivings,
Mouths that kiss only for love,
Records of great wishes slept with,
Held long
And prayed and toiled for:
Yes,
Written on
Your mouths
And your throats
I read them
When you passed by.
After I photographed https://skybluedaze.wordpress.com/2015/04/25/fish-mural/ in Lewiston, Idaho, I walked a few blocks to Old Town. Here I found more murals on a brick wall and 4 cheery chairs on the sidewalk across the street from the library. The chairs are constructed of steel and bolted in place. I collect old table chairs always with intention to paint them. These look devine in solid colors. Keep it simple.
great images and wonderful poem! Evocative and descriptive – the city’s afternoon roar and lips written over with strivings!
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Thanks. Sandburg was a real professional, he stands out. I saved this poem months ago, waiting for the right photo to go with it. I was thinking of busy street traffic but the empty chairs leave more to the reader’s imagination perhaps.
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Perfect!
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