tea in the garden at midnight

Kim Denise
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tea in the garden at midnight
tea in the garden at midnight

This is the last page of my submission to Utata Speaks 08, this year's exciting photoessay project from the members of www.utata.org.

See my essay in its entirety here.


-----
One teacup, blue-and-white. (One saucer. One willow ware plate.) Two chairs with
baroque red curves. Three trunks of a sheltering palm tree. Four: the numerological
equivalent of my new address. Five fingers of my open hand, where I trace the
evolving lines of my palm. (That word palm again—I may be a bit obsessed.)

This is how I count, these days. The blessings follow one upon another, bright
beads slipping off a silken thread. The drowsy heat, the ecstatic light. Exotic, erotic
flowers, and trees I've never met. Crawfish and catfish and Tabasco on my tongue.
Greetings sung out by strangers, who savor each elastic vowel as it bends.

Boundaries and borders and transitional zones are fecund places. Look to the edge
of the forest, the edge of the sea. As I move through my own transitional zone,
learning these new languages, counting these lightshot beads, everything,
everything is illuminated. How do I merit such flamboyant gifts in the ordinary
moments of my days? It begins to rain and I run to the window to see if gold
coins are falling from the sky.

1,500 miles from home and I know I should be lonely. But here in the dark is this
soft, soft air, a lingering caress. I sit alone in the garden at midnight and know
myself beloved.
---

This photo was originally created for Utata's Iron Photographer 54 (although I already had the essay in mind). The elements:
1 - stone
2 - something blue
3 - vivid color

© All Rights Reserved
Taken on: August 2, 2008
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Camera: Nikon D50, f/1.8, 0.5 sec, 50mm (=75mm) (more info) (hide info)
Camera: Nikon D50
Aperture: f/1.8
Exposure Time: 0.5
Focal Length: 50mm (35mm equivalent: 75mm)
Exposure Bias: 0 EV
Flash: No Flash
Exposure Program: Manual
Exposure Mode: Manual
Metering Mode: Spot
White Balance: Manual
Light Source: Tungsten (Incandescent)
Color Space: sRGB
Software: Adobe Photoshop Elements 4.0 Windows
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