I have entered into the Desert, the place of desolation.
The Desert confronts me haughtily and assails me with solitude.
She sits on a throne of light,
Her hands clasped, her eyes solemnly questioning.
I have come into the lean and stricken land
Which fears not God, that I may meet my soul
Face to face, naked, as the Desert is naked;
Bare as the great silence is bare:
I will question the Silent Ones who have gone before and are forgotten,
And the great host which shall come after,
By whom I also shall be forgot.
As the Desert is defiant unto all gods,
So am I defiant of all gods,
Shadows of Man cast upon the fogs of his ignorance.
As a helpless child follows the hand of its mother,
So I put my hand into the hand of the Eternal.
~ From The Poet in the Desert by Charles Erskine Scott Wood
I've been waiting awhile to see more of the images you capture, and it was well worth the wait! I want to be there. I want to be there in a movie. I want the movie to simply be my life...me, living there. And I want my life to be like the poem you have interlaced between the images...wonderful.
ReplyDeleteOh, and if I was living there in that hacienda, I would wish for you to drop by and we would watch the sun go down, and the stars come out....
ReplyDeleteDan took the words (as they say) right out of my mouth , , ,
ReplyDeleteVery special post. WOW! Your gorgeous photos with portions of CES Wood's epic poem! I am in heaven, to be sure.
ReplyDeleteA few years ago, I posted portions of the same poem with photos I took in the Alvord Desert, which is the desert he actually was writing about! I own an early edition printing of the full poem...one of my true treasures. CES Wood is like a god to me!
The warmth, the grittiness, the chill, the welcoming desolation--the very character of the desert--you've captured it all. And, as ever, you found the perfect words to inform your gorgeous photos.
ReplyDeleteThe death of those wondrous chalky date palms is the kicker for me. They should be called desert stalagmites.
ReplyDeleteI also appreciate that you chose to place each photo with the poetic stanza most suited for it.
Beautiful
These are the kind of photos I'd dwell on if I were grieving
Waou...what a wonderful post...
ReplyDeleteExcuse me but for today i prefer to stay here in silence..
sometimes beauty just need silence...!!
all my compliments and my best thoughts..
kisses and hugs..♥
Interesting that both our poems mention mother. Your photos look like you put them together in sections, the back and middle and front. Such a great work in color and depth.
ReplyDeleteAre you busy these first days of the new year? I hope you are sending lots of strength and harmony out into the universe for this year of 2012 to bless you abundantly.
I have been making decorations for the senior center for month of Jan. Spray paint, scissors, etc. This month is also the annual fund raising soup and pie day at the center so lots of plans are in the works. Keeps me busy and productive.
Hugs.
All the photos and buildings are excellent in conveying sense of place. But the blue of the sky in the first photo is really special.
ReplyDeleteTo me, it's astonishing that people have lived here--or want to. I see the poem's point, but I couldn't handle that much solitude and silence. For me, they are states to escape to now and then, not to live in. Wordsworth and the Younger Me are ashamed of The Now Me, but no use trying to deny it.
These pictures have a life of their own. You are so creative and artistic. Now I want to make a trip to the desert. :)
ReplyDeleteHoly shit, Sherlock!
ReplyDeleteThose be some fine fotos. Amboy? Beautiful.
I am particularly enamored of the simplicity of the compositions and the wonderful pastel hues...
I just LOVE this series! The dead palm trees look surreal and what a setting for the lovely house on top. Fantastic!
ReplyDeletePainted skies (violet and blue and aquamarine: a perfect recipe for a delirium ) and desert ways.
ReplyDeletei want to take the opportunity to sincerely wish you a bright and joyous new year.
The thing is, not only is the desert desolate and naked.....it is unashamed. It wipes my face of all its pretentious poses.
ReplyDeleteAm so so late getting here, but here at last am I, and would cross any length of deserts to see work as simply beautiful as this. One of your finest I think, this just blows me away, like a desert wind, we stumble through the sandstorm to emerge at the calm beauty of your oasis, and then crawl away back into the desert, thirst quenched, ready to face whatever is next, be it naught else but joining the sand and leaving only a parched set of bleached bones...
ReplyDeleteWas there anyone living out there ??? or was it totally abandoned ?
And here's wishing you the happy new year that I don't think I've had a chance to yet...
Any travels planned in the coming months ?
Le calme et les couleurs du désert. Superbe.
ReplyDeleteLOVE these pics. I always love to see and photograph deserts and desert life. Lot's of interesting people and a great deal of broken dreams... The first three photos really demonstrate that.
ReplyDelete