In a five by three-foot cubicle surrounded by photographs of my family and artwork from my kids, I sit here contemplating on what I am going to write about this afternoon. It’s cold outside and I’m not feeling well today, so inspiration seems out of my reach. Nevertheless, I must get my writing in. As I contemplate on my writing exercise for the day, my conundrum is suddenly resolved the background image I have set as my screen saver abruptly changes.
The background image on my computer changes from bright lavender to deep dark reds as I have it set to switch to a different one every fifteen minutes. Seeing that I am one of those people who are easily bored to death, change is good for me as I must sit here for eight hours a day looking at this computer screen.
As the first picture becomes visible it reveals an intense close up of only what I can assume is a flower. Bright lavender, green and white in addition to droplets of water streaming on to what looks like long thin petals. There is a yellow spot in the upper left of the picture. The stigma perhaps? This is the by far the brightest of my backgrounds and it seems to wake me up as it pops up and dazzles me.
The second image is obviously a fall photo of a tree with minimal yellow and orange leaves left on it. The background is dark reddish-orange and blurry so to make out what is back there is impossible. Some of these leafs are as if they are on their last leg with holes starting to emerge in them and the limbs of the tree starting to blacken. This image gives me an impulse to have a cup of hot coco and cozy up by the fireplace.
As the third image appears before me, it is another close up of a purple flower however, the image is more legible. At first glance you can mistake it for an anemone, and then you realize an anemone is not purple and resides under water. This clearly is not underwater. Completely wide open the beige and purple sepals on this flower looks as if they are petrified wood as they curl on the ends. While the cream-colored petals lay against sepals relaxing as the beautiful purple stigma stands out in an orb of a thousand tentacles. I’m keyed up when this image crops up because this scene is so chaotic and exciting.
Subsequently the fourth impression slowly emerges on to the screen in an Ah inspiring instant. The deep burgundy guides your focus to a circular motion around this most unusual photograph of a chrysanthemum flower. Once again a close up shot of breathtaking petals that look as if the blood like color gets darker the further right your eye moves, hence giving the impression of a slanted spiral. This illusion of movement in the photograph is bewitching as it influences the senses.
The last image is the grandest of them all. A photo shot directly from above of a group of elongated leaves colored in the coolest of greens. Almost a near resemblance to a blade not a leaf, this extraordinary display of entanglement makes me want to try to touch them. The texture of the leaves bestows an illusion of ridges. Suitably in the center of this piece is a descent into nothingness as your eye falls into a black opening. I really want to touch those blades as curious as I am to find out for myself, are they rough or are they smooth?
Shell de Toni 