I asked three people to send their first reaction, thoughts and feelings to the picture that I took, all compacted into a poem. It surprised me to see just how different everyone's minds are- I was excited to see it plainly through people's poetry.

 

Fading light

The eyes,

They say they glisten in the moonlight.

A dancing sensation

that lights up the whole room.

Free, airy, full of light,

like a feather floating to the ground

Yet they are the windows into my soul

Twisted pain, and the tale of a little girl

That once was, and never more.

 

Your favourite colour was blue.

You danced and

                                           Marvelled

at the deep sunset

So I gave you my heart and let you strip the red out.

But you didn’t know I was stripping it out too.

I sucked the life out of me but you did too.

 

-  Phoenix Juniper

 

Burial

The beautiful view, a sense of security

Burying myself within the comfort of this tree

Looking identical to the one in the backdrop of the burial

 

At the top, blue

A blue sky, a central moon

Are you looking up at it too? Are we sharing this moment despite being worlds apart?

I’d like to think so

It’s easier than admitting the reality.

It’s comforting, denial.

 

Hints of red swirled into the stripes of pink

Self-explanatory.

‘Better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all’

Then why after everything

Why am I sitting here thinking of you?

Wishing I was empty minded.

Until of course, I become empty minded.

Is this comforting- always wanting more?

 

Yellow

Sunshine, innocence

                                           Happiness.

I dropped them to trail my way back to childhood when I needed an escape

They embodied my heart and sunk into the earth

Searching for you

This isn’t comforting.

 

 

The beautiful backdrop

                                                     a false sense of security.

- Eleni Portou

 

Dawn’s tree

Out of everything in the world

I’m most jealous of a tree

Not for the reasons you think however

I’m jealous because every morning it gets to see

A gorgeous sunrise

One that misses me

 

I do see it now and then

But hardly ever can I admire

The beauty of the dawn

And colours and gradients that it forms

 

But the tree can see it

See it in its entirety

From its vantage point high above

And every morning

It will greet dawn

And watch the night sky fade into day

See the purple the pink and blue

And the gold of the sun,

As she guides the way

 

Every morning it does so

And every morning onwards

Whereas I

Only have the picture

To remind me of this time

When I saw what the tree sees

And thought “how I wish your view was mine”

- Mawada Najem

 

Untitled

Today I thought of us

under the ageing oak tree

Rouge and mauve bled into the sky as we held onto each other for warmth

Today I thought of us

engraving our names into the wood,

permanent memories carved in the form of a heart with our initials at the centre, showcasing our admiration for one another.

Today I thought of you

And fearing the day you won’t be by my side to lean on my shoulder when days get tough, I held your hand a little tighter and led you to the ageing oak tree.

 

- Jessica Rebelo

 

After seeing everyone’s poetic responses to the image I displayed, it was clear that everyone really relies on their experiences in regards to photos and even other poems. I found this really interesting to look at, as everyone gave a completely different response to the exact same image.