Northport, Alabama

This is not the photo that I wanted to take today. Or then again, maybe it is. After all, I am the one who chose to go to the trestle at sunset. I am the one who went slipping and sliding down the river’s muddy banks, chasing the sun’s last rays. I am the one who went running up the hill like a half-crazy girl just to see the sky turn to tobacco before my eyes. I am the one who chose to press the shutter at this exact moment, to hold my breath so as not to move because I had forgotten my tripod in my haste. I couldn’t taste what I wanted to say, couldn’t grasp what I needed to touch. Heedless of my intentions, my feet led me to this spot as if pulled by an invisible thread — without thought, without emotion, almost without consciousness. Psychologists would argue that nothing is ever accidental, that the image you make is the one you are supposed to make, watermarked with the stamp of your soul. I think it’s just another form of escape, a pretty diversion in a black and white world.

With that in mind, I thought we might play a game this week. You give me a one-word subject (noun, verb, or concept) and I’ll shoot a picture to the best of my ability and post it. Who knows? It might even be fun.

Music of the day: Smile Like You Mean It by The Killers