Early light has been diffused to an apricot glow,
dappled with fragments of cool, grey shadow,
echoes of the wet earth of an earlier landscape.
Soggy fields and marshes suffered centuries of drought;
now precious juttings of sea-worn granite lure us out
to where water once teemed with life.
Now all that’s left are sweeping views of rotting boats
and we breathe putrid air masked by the scent of salt.
Kim M. Russell, 2017
reylia.deviantart.com
My response to Mindlovemisery’s Menagerie Photo Challenge #174, also shared on the Imaginary Garden with Real Toads Tuesday Platform (continuing the theme ‘Imagining a Changing Earth)
writing in north norfolk 
Beautiful.
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Thank you!
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Such a powerful close on this one, Kim! Beautifully penned.
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Thank you, Sanaa!
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Brilliant imagery!
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Thank you very much!
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The salt masking other dark scents… yes.
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Luv the obscure nature of Salt here, very interesting
Much love…
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Apricot glow… how lovely!!!
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🙂
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Aye, so Beautiful and Tragic. 🌺🌺🌺
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to where water once teemed with life.
Now all that’s left are sweeping views of rotting boats
and we breathe putrid air masked by the scent of salt.
Change brought not so beautiful remnants. Progress could be hurting. Great ending Kim!
Hank
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Thanks Hank!
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You provide a post-apocalyptic landscape here. With drought an ever-looming dread, it seems very close to home.
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“…to where water once teemed with life….” so sad, as we are watching water creatures struggling to survive everywhere.
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Such a beautiful painting (photo) because of the light but yes, it has a desperation about it…
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The figure in the picture looks so lost and, as you say, desperate.
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The desert makes us appreciate the water that we have.
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It’s 6.40 am and I’m loving the sound of the pouring rain outside my window.
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Have you seen the trailer for Bladerunner: 2049? Your poem puts me in mind of that world especially to the north with all the shades of apricot, peach, orange, lemon….A very desolate world indeed.
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I just Googled it! Prophetic? The ironic thing is that we’re currently (6.38 am) sitting on the tail end of a rather loud thunderstorm and it’s pouring with rain. No sports day for the little ones today – it’s a god job I’ll be there to listen to them read.
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What fun. Listening to the little ones read! It is an odd world re-imagined in Bladerunner. In the city of LA it constantly rains – all the time. Outside the city there are regions of desert, deserted by everyone except a few survivors, fighting for their lives. As it was said in the movie “The Book of Eli”…people kill each other for things we used to throw away…..it seems we have come to that point.
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The imagery, the glimpse into this terribly realistic poetic future chills my insides. We–humanity–will pay for we are doing wrong, aren’t we? And we’ll pay through blood not yet born. What a mess.
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The problem is that humans are far too comfortable in their own little bubbles to worry about the environment. We have bred a species of consumers who find the real world difficult and uncomfortable without gadgets and constant entertainment. They’re frightened of being bored, which is when the real entertainment begins. It’s easier for them to watch nature on TV.
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*sigh*
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Wonderful imagery here Kim.Paints a realistic picture. The consumers will consume until nowt’s left.
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Thanks Paul!
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It feels like a reality check after reading this work. So beautifully penned and with great depths!
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Many thanks, Vijita!
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