The Silent Softness of the Swamp

My morning starts.

The morning promise as the sun peeks through the branches.

The trees, brooding and silent.

Their trunks rising into the mist, standing the test of time.

 

The beaver made me hundreds of years ago.

Stopping up the trickle into

A growing puddle breathing with life.

Below and above.

 

Then as if someone had turned on a switch the heavy machinery rumbled.

The peaceful calm was broken and forgotten.

 

I felt the cool caress of the heavy dew as it weighed me down.

I think of what these trees have seen.

 

The history they could share.

The squirmishes?

The love?

The sorrow?

The untold stories they hold.

 

As the development around me

closes on us and chokes our very existence.

 

The secrets lost to the unfeeling heavy machinery.

The NOISE! Clanking and scraping.

The BLASTING! Rocking the trees to their very roots.

 

As our peaceful home makes way for progress.

More shopping,

More homes,

More everything.

 

 

~Poem and Photograph by Laura Kelland-May

 

This comes as a result of a morning walk to a local beaver dam, about 15 minutes walk from my suburban doorstep. The morning was so peaceful then what you can’t hear is the rumble of the heavy machinery making way for new homes. I often wonder what secrets are being through infilling and development.

My work focuses around finding the beauty around me and sharing it. I look to challenge people to be more conscious of their surroundings, break out of their comfort zone, and slow the perpetual hamster wheel of the online facade. My photo-based practice comes from a place of wonder and discovery, constantly examining and hoping to share my fascination of the everyday world. Common themes include the natural world, minimalism and a desire to share my appreciation of living fully in the present. To find out more about me please visit LauraKellandMay.com