Dancing Echoes

Beats Stumbling Around in Silence


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Mud Slide

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Volcanic thermal
Soothing salubrious mud
Clean up’s gonna be a bitch

A few years ago I had the pleasure of visiting the amazing country of New Zealand. While there, treated myself to a hot mud bath. The mud was made from fine, volcanic ash so while it felt amazing, it also got embedded in virtually every nook and cranny.
-Sometimes you just have to get dirty.

In response to the Weekly Photo Challenge: Treat


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Homeless

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The invisible
Treated like human garbage
Caught in the vicious cycle

Bureaucracy and judgement
Humanity suspended

As part of my job and volunteer work, I often go to the local parks and trails to pick up trash as part of “community cleanup”. I am always careful to observe the signs. Is this trash or someone’s home? To accidentally throw away a person’s few possessions seems intolerably cruel. So I guard these small places of sanctuary and respectfully move along.

In response to Sylvain Landry’s SL-WEEK #17: Homeless


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Winter

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Winter’s stillness
The only sound, my heartbeat
And the click of the shutter

In response to Jennifer Nicole Wells One Word Photo Challenge: Winter and
CARPE DIEM HAIKU KAI: Carpe Diem Special #179 Tom D’Evelyn “The Held Breath: Sound and Silence in a Haiku”


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Desert Spring

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My greatest fear is to be numb
Thoughts thrombosed
Connections severed

Ambivalence the enemy
Brought about by memories
Too painful to bear

A search for that spark of creativity
To crawl out of that dark place
Find inspiration that releases me

To spring forth like flowing water
Quenching a desert of imagination
Realization that the pain is a tool

And to feel is a gift

I wrote the beginnings of the first 6 lines a few weeks ago. I was struggling with how to express how I was feeling. Words were not coming easily. Ideas for photos were not coming easily. Jennifer Nicole Wells challenge of Spring was coming up and second 6 lines began to take shape but I was still not completely happy with them. I didn’t have a clue about a photo. I was hitting a wall -one of the things I fear the most.  I thought maybe I needed to take a break from blogging. Then Patrick posted the wonderful tribute, Halls of Madness about a friend. It stopped me in my tracks. No one is forcing me to be numb. My wall is self imposed, my fear a self fulfilling prophecy only if I let it be one. While I can’t say I can relate to the depth of despair his friend was feeling, I can say I understand her final choice. This post was the attitude adjustment/kick in the ass perspective I needed so badly. Then Patrick’s prompt of Desert for today’s challenge in direct contrast to Spring was the final inspiration to finishing. I joined this blogging community to express myself but equally to learn and be inspired by other talented writers/photographers. I am so lucky and grateful for having this exceptional, creative community in my life.

In response to Jennifer Nicole Wells One Word Photo Challenge: Spring and
Patrick Jennings Pic and a Word Challenge #8: Desert