Taken by a Reservoir Somewhere up North
Piece of nonsense started in 1970, completed in 2015
The photograph got to him
from way back,
homing in
from an unromantic evening,
typically late fifties:
its dab of sunset
fit for a Woolworth’s painting
hunkering down
behind louring dark rocks,
and, oh no, oh no,
reminding him
of the sting of cheap shampoo
from her dishevelled hair,
and coming away
none-the-wiser
after not blunting an old penknife
on the rough sandstone
not bearing their names
longer than themselves.
Still the wry chuckle of water,
the sky red-faced with sniggering,
and the embarrassment of hair
stranded in time with a dull face,
unenhanced by a life-time’s exposure.
No wonder the old photograph
turned sour in his hands –
in a postmodernist sort of way.
.
This piece of nonsense – your words Gerald, not mine – makes some sort of sense in as much as one can see that it is about reminiscences of a not altogether successful outing with a girl – no oil painting by the sound of it – but what I found a bit confusing is what brought about those memories. Was it a photograph of a cheap reproduction of a painting (Woolworth’s), or are those references unrelated?
Thanks, Luigi. You’ve highlighted the confusion so I’ve started the piece with ‘the photo’ though actually there was no photo and no reservoir. Regards, Gerald.
A little confusing but interesting.
ps, I think the word is spelt ‘lowering’ (pronounced louring..)
Thanks, John. The verb ‘lour’ is correct. To use the alternative spelling ‘lower’ would cause confusion.
Gerald
I enjoyed this, I liked all the different images, the dark heaviness of the rocks with the softness of hair, the chuckle of water and the red-faced sky. 🙂 Sue.
Many thanks, Sue.