January 17th, 2019        Photos I

‘This is a photograph of me’ by Margaret Atwood

It was taken some time ago / At first it seems to be / a smeared print:                                                                       blurred lines and grey flecks / blended with the paper; / then, as you scan
it, you can see something in the left-hand corner / a thing that is like a branch: part of a tree
(balsam or spruce) emerging / and, to the right, halfway up / what ought to be a gentle
slope, a small frame house. / In the background there is a lake, / and beyond that, some low hills.

(The photograph was taken / the day after I drowned.
I am in the lake, in the center / of the picture, just under the surface.
It is difficult to say where / precisely, or to say / how large or how small I am:
the effect of water / on light is a distortion. / but if you look long enough
eventually, you will see me.)

Also, you may like to check out Catherine Just’s site and view her work at: http://www.catherinejust.com/