Daily Prompt: Retrospective

Retrospective

an art exhibit showing an entire phase or representative examples of an artist’s lifework.

any exhibition or series of showings or performances, as of musical works or motion pictures, representing the work of an artist or performer over all or a major part of a career

Has there ever been an exhibition of a single item? Wikipedia’s definition of an exhibition, “an organised presentation and display of a selection of items,” suggests that the correct answer is, “No.”

I take note of the fact that all of the work of the artist or performer is not included in the exhibition. What is shown are items that are representative of the artist or performer’s work “over all or a major part” of his or her career. This infers that there are criteria that are used to determine what works are representative of the person’s body of work.

I think of the fact that the style which distinguishes the performer or artist from others, developed over time. In addition, producing a body of work demanded, among other things, dedication and perseverance. I imagine there were times that the artist or performer was discouraged, maybe even give up but we know that he or she returned to the work long enough to make an exhibition possible.

Whether or not we consider ourselves artists or performers, each of us is producing “a body of work” with our daily choices, words, and behaviors. And our “body of work” is on display in some manner. Are we producing a “body of work” that is representative of the person we believe ourselves to be, our authentic selves?

A post based on the Daily Post’s prompt, “Retrospective.”

The definitions of “Retrospective” are from dictionary.com.

Conquer

“Conquer”

To conquer,
is to gain mastery over,
Merriam-Webster asserts.
But I also want to vanquish,
to win the battles and the war.
The war against discontent,
against the heavy burden of keeping score,
against the lie that for life to be better,
I need to keep acquiring more.

For I desire a life of gratitude,
fragranced by grace and love,
to daily see the blessings
given by the Father above.
To look at each person
and see Imago Dei.
To appreciate the present moment
instead of letting it slip away,
as I worry about the future
and remain haunted
by what I cannot change.

I know these goals are lofty
and not easily achieved,
but the cost of inactivity makes
worthwhile every effort
to make them reality.

via Daily Prompt: Conquer

Developing Your Eye: Day 6, Solitude

Solitude
Defined as a state or situation of being alone by choice
Sometimes it is a need.
Not just a preference.
© E. Wright, July 2016

Developing Your Eye: Day 5, Connect

Fences are physical boundaries, it is true.
But personal boundaries facilitate connection
because to connect with another person in a healthy manner,
each must be clear where he/she stops and the other begins.
Also, it must be clear what is acceptable and what is not.
“Fences” or personal boundaries promote healthy connection.
© E. Wright, July 2016

 

Developing Your Eye, Day 3: Water

I thought of capturing the fountain in a small park but it was waterless when I drove by. Also thought of a man-made lake near a local golf course in my town but could not see a place to park which did not require me navigating a somewhat busy street on foot. Then the words, “a cup of water in My name,” came to mind. I recognized it as a phrase from a Scripture verse, which a subsequent search revealed to be Mark 9:41. I decided to photograph a cup of water and placed it outside on my deck as a symbol of the “cups of water” such as hope and encouragement that are desperately needed in our world more than ever now, and which we all can offer, even if only to one person.

 

 

 

Home

The town of my birth was divided by a river and my family home was the equivalent of two blocks away from the river.  Beginning in childhood, I crossed the river at least once per week. Perhaps this is one reason that I love being near large bodies of water and why this body of water in Ft. Worth, TX, reminds me of home.

The Daily Post
Photography: Developing Your Eye I: Day 1

 

 

Irritants and Pearls

Pearls, I have heard and read,
are the result of an oyster’s response
to a grain of sand or other irritating substance
(Note the fact that the substance is irritating, please)
which is stuck between its mantle and shell.

It secrets nacre (a substance also known as mother of pearl),
which coats the irritant
and, over a period of years,
(Attend to the fact that the process takes time, please)
forms a lustrous pearl.

Unlike the oyster,
my process is to evict irritants from my life as soon as possible,
and I wonder now, what thing of value could I have created
if I had used what I have within to transform, over time, that which irritated?

Written in response to The Daily Post’s prompt, “Grain.”

 

If we were having coffee

Photo Credit

If we were having coffee/tea, I would ask you about your day, week, or season of life. And I would have silenced my phone. And I would strive to give you my undivided attention. And I would remind myself to truly listen to you instead of just waiting to speak. And I would try to refrain from giving advice unless you ask for it and, even if you do, I would want to first empathize with your struggle and try to be a sounding board or help you brainstorm solutions. And if I give advice, I would try to do so tentatively, couching my words in questions, and not as gospel, as in the “from-G0d’s-mouth-to-my-ears” variety. If we were having coffee/tea, I hope you would feel heard and cared for when our time together came to an end.

#weekendcoffeeshare

 

 

The Future: A Sonnet

The future will come

Shaped by the decisions I am making today

And those I made when today was the future

Will the future  come? Yes.

And while so much of it is unknown

There are somethings of which I can be sure

 

Of what can I be sure?

I can be sure that love will be there

So will hope and the freedom to choose

Even from a prison cell

So will opportunities

And beauty

And imperfection

And so will You, the Eternal One, Who inhabits the past, present, and future, all at once

Writing 201: Future

Today’s prompt, form, and device: Future. Sonnet. Chiasmus

Ode to a gift

I see you

Stored in the original box, in a dresser drawer

Carefully returned there, each time donned

A four stranded necklace of multicolored pearls

You are cold to the touch

But warm my heart, a token of the love of your giver, my sister

 

Writing 201: Drawer

Today’s prompt: Drawer. Today’s form: ode. Today’s device: apostrophe (it occurs when the speaker in the poem addresses another person or an object (usually personified) directly.