Unframing
(Inspired by the photographic work of Francesca Woodman)
©January 25th, 2018
By Vijaya Sundaram
Frames dissolve and merge,
Frames emerge and fan out into outer space
Within, she finds solace,
But without, the vast beating of wings
Calls to her.
The stairs, the window, all that moves above,
All that lives and breathes below,
All the submerged, surging, urging of voices
Speaking through her own,
Images that flow like water,
Harden like rock, sift through her fingers like sand,
Lead to one question, and
The answer lies hidden,
A starfish in the sand, being
Slowly washed away from the shore
Out to an unknown sea.
A small tidal pool mirrors a white sky,
And below it, a hermit crab
Flexes and closes its claws,
Waiting to scuttle away
Away from prying eyes, waggling fingers,
I want to follow the crab,
I turn away, and let the waves lap at my feet.
Even a crab needs to be private.
The beating of wings nearby
Calls me – I turn.
When I look back, the crab is gone.
The water comes and goes, comes and goes.
Below, a seagull stands in the waves,
Looking at the sky.
Above, a seagull wheels and soars, white and shining,
A voice in the wind.
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