I went in search of an offering, a picture wanting to be caught. I walked along, whistling a tune in my head, pretending i was not seeking enlightenment or a moment perfect for freezing time's forward rush. If asked the question, "what are you doing?" i would have been all innocence, admitting nothing for fear of scattering the muses, sending them to run for cover.
No one asked. No one even noticed me, the woman in black, walking up and down the urban sidewalks, east to west, then north to south. Not even a glance from the tennis players wearing mufflers and mittens as i cut through the wooded park, looking left, looking right.
The mid-day's sky was a flattened grey, appearing lightless, bland, practically one dimensional. The thought passed over that it might have been a better day spent indoors exploring a palette of sea blue-greens with brush and ink on Arches than a day spent trudging about be-gloved and bundled to the teeth.
It seemed there were to be no pictures today. None at all were lying in wait for me to come upon them with my camera. I heard not a single image call me out of my grumpy daze with a whispered or even shouted greeting "here i am! i have been waiting for you to see me!". It really was time to go home. It started to sprinkle and the sun seemed to be trapped behind the veil of that mood-less grey sky.
I turned the corner heading back to the car. I was mid-stride when i looked to my left and heard the call, "come to me..." I stopped then and saw a seemingly endless corridor of trees arching across the sidewalk as if to shelter the stone itself. It was really just an ordinary winter drab scene of harshly pruned trees, a cracked sidewalk, a black iron fence and a couple stepping out from the park.
But what i saw in my mind was something quite extraordinarily different. It was the tunnel of love, the road less travelled, the door to narnia, wonderland or the final call to heaven. I took exactly one photograph, knowing beyond doubt that it was my gift, my reward for not going after the picture but allowing it to find me. It was an altered dimension. It materialized out of nothing, constructed itself in a bright flash of light. It was nature's architectural art and I felt touched by grace and humility. I smiled and bowed my head in thanks, moving off and home for the day. Believe me. It happened in exactly this way.
Love, Robin
