Polaroids: Grand Reopening

Grand Reopening. Polaroid 600. Dallas, TX. 2009.

This post in honor of the return to our house, though it's still in disarray somewhat.

Polaroids: Outside Radio Shack

Outside Radio Shack. Polaroid 600. Carrollton, TX, October 2008.

Polaroids: Ride

Ride. Polaroid 600. Fall, 2009, Dallas, TX.

St. Valentine's Day

A beautiful poem by Nizar Qabbani on this St. Valentine's Day, my wife's favorite holiday.

from "Poems"

Who are you
woman entering my life like a dagger
mild as the eyes of a rabbit
soft as the skin of a plum
pure as strings of jasmine
innocent as children's bibs
and devouring like words?

--Nizar Qabbani

Polaroids: Spinnaker

Spinnaker. Polaroid 600. Summer 2009, Dallas, TX.

I think of carnivals as summer-fall sorts of affairs. I was surprised to see the traveling carnival that I snapped this photo at last summer back at its spot along I-635 earlier this week, the day after Dallas' foot of snow. I love the carnival: that mix of wild fun and horrific sadness; the swift movements and a sense of the stillness of time; the lights trailing through the dark. This photo sums up so much for me right now. An uncontrollable spin. Being uprooted, like the traveling carnival itself.

Polaroids: Cot, Point Bolivar, TX, 1 year after Hurricane Ike

Cot, Point Bolivar, TX, 1 year after Hurricane Ike. Polaroid. 600 film. Point Bolivar, Texas. 2009.

Poem: Snow Storm by Tu Fu

Snow Storm


Tumult, weeping, many new ghosts.
Heartbroken, aging, alone, I sing
To myself. Ragged mist settles
In the spreading dusk. Snow scurries
In the coiling wind. The wineglass
Is spilled. The bottle is empty.
The fire has gone out in the stove.
Everywhere men speak in whispers.
I brood on the uselessness of letters.

Tu Fu, translated by Kenneth Rexroth