synaestherapy

Success & Excess,
the double-headed goliath
atop the mountain drinking wine
laughed with all the slop-eating swine
at the ant-sized pilgrims
crafting their shrine.

But soon the mountain cracked
under the lives spent toiling
over construction & protection
of their collective prison—
the bitter stench of cynicism
wafted freely through its halls
& prisoners prayed for the crumbling
to bring them fresh air.

The mountain did crumble, Success
& Excess met pilgrims in fate
as the trumpets of creation harmonized
with the oboes of destruction
to wring out a nocturne 
for the newly born babes.

Cynicism dissipated
& their souls grew 
stronger, their will followed
& filled the void of Excess with
imagination to create
the new world.

Success, the wounded foe,
was forced to strut around town—
pilgrims & prisoners
laughed and poked, yet
at the nucleus,
Success whispered: “nothing can stop me.”

(Source: hellopoetry.com)

I went on a phototrek with President Wishnack the other day. We began with about 90 minutes of sunlight left, thanks to having an extra hour. We headed out in a slightly different direction than the time before (which produced this photo, among others).

My lens is often drawn to architecture and nature. Perhaps it’s because both are usually larger than me and the two are almost always in conflict. Architecture vs. Nature. Technology vs. Nature. Chaos vs. Order. The list goes on.
San Francisco is a playground for this theme.

Sometimes I try to imagine the San Francisco geography without any architectural footprint. I imagine hills lush with tall grasses and a variety of trees. They would roll out to the bay and ocean coasts, a full 49 square miles of plant diversity. It’s a dream worth thinking about, at least for a few moments anyways.

For the time being, asphalt is very much king, and Golden Gate Park is the last respite of San Francisco’s natural pride (if at all). Thus I’m always looking at the ground, around the edges, peering down alleys, and other hidden paths, searching for signs of nature’s miniature victories.