a pastel world

a pastel world, a photo by Damian Gadal on Flickr.

We shaded the days in blue and gray,
to fit our mood and reflect our fancy

Feathered Friend

Feathered Friend, a photo by Damian Gadal on Flickr.

Down by the water,
waiting for our ship to come in,
not getting any younger,
we'll meet up again...
and walk along the shore,
farther and farther,
and like sailors and seamen,
we'll find shelter in the harbor.

Enchanted

Enchanted, a photo by Damian Gadal on Flickr.

Sarah was a free spirit, a woman who liked to keep flowers in her hair.

The life of the party who seemed younger than her years,
though problems with the bottle brought her heartache and tears.

She lived life for the moment free from worry or care.

Always the bridesmaid would certainly ring true,
recklessly headed towards something she couldn't undo.

Imbibing too much at her best friends wedding,
she went for air to clear her head from boozing.

She didn't see the car when she stepped into oncoming traffic,
a frantic driver screamed, her ending so tragic.

Sarah was a free spirit, a woman who liked to keep flowers in her hair.

She lived life for the moment free from worry or care.

Not your time

Not your time, a photo by Damian Gadal on Flickr.

We'd just finished smoking out on the little patio adjacent to the convalescent home, when we heard them looking for us.

Sharing a cigarette was the least I could do for Eleanor... "95 and trapped" was how she put it.

She'd outlived her children, and her grandchildren all lived out of state.

She had a few friends in the home, that is on the days when they remembered who she was, but mostly she was alone.

She was thrilled when I agreed to give her a smoke, and then help her to sneak out to enjoy it.  Sure I could get in trouble, but seriously, I didn't care.  She was a prisoner, she knew it, and so did I.  Two rebels fighting the system seemed to give her lots of joy.

It had been something she'd done most of her life, growing up in the segregated south had challenges she seems to relish in having overcome.

We smoked and laughed quietly, a moment that ended all too soon.  We said our goodbyes, and I headed off to visit a friend.

And that's the last I saw of Eleanor.... a joy to pass the time with.

Looking for truth

Looking for truth, a photo by Damian Gadal on Flickr.

It's something you'll never find,
wrapped in words with no meaning,
disguised in facts, inside out...

Here comes the night

Here comes the night, a photo by Damian Gadal on Flickr.

Our love never saw the light of day,
just steamy windows,
and midnight passion plays,
love hanging in the gallows...
I still see the sadness on your face,
the tears welling you your eyes,
we let linger one final embrace,
parting you smiled, and said goodbye...

Inventing other lives

Inventing other lives, a photo by Damian Gadal on Flickr.

Here's to our future,
may it be a long one,
filled with joy and happiness,
love and good times,
first,
let's get through the bad times,
survive the hard times too,
when time is easy I'll come back,
to try a life together, me and you,
take care,
goodbye.

That's how we left things

That's how we left things, a photo by Damian Gadal on Flickr.

We fought, she left.

How's that for a short story?  The photograph may or may not add to it, but the topic here is words.  They mean things, and carry a certain amount of weight.

Most of the time we scant listen to what's being said, or we interpret things in ways other than what was intended.

Those are the shortcomings of communication, when we fail to connect.

What got me to thinking about communication?  A short story supposedly written by Hemmingway on a bet:  "For Sale:  Baby Shoes, Never Worn."

Those six words speak volumes on the power language.

Of course language isn't the only way we attempt to communicate, there's music and images too.

Anything stop you in your tracks lately?  What was it?  And what did it say to you?

Dart

Dart, a photo by Damian Gadal on Flickr.

She took me where I needed to go,
ready in a moments notice,
a migrant traveling show,
our endeavors of imagination boundless,
always moving like the river flow,
she took me where I needed to go,
the journey her only purpose...

Ain't got no home

Ain't got no home, a photo by Damian Gadal on Flickr.

We've failed, that much is clear
falling, divided  as a nation
collapse and ruin so near...
seeking no salvation,
just living in fear...

No gas

No gas, a photo by Damian Gadal on Flickr.

The recession never ended,
it was just a lie the media wanted to sell...
election year propaganda.

Clandestine Operations

Clandestine Operations, a photo by Damian Gadal on Flickr.

They hide behind doors,
in back rooms tucked away...
selling favors like candy from a dime store,
special interests holding sway...
no different than a street corner whore,
you've got pay to play...

Kindle - The Game Changer

I love technology, especially when it improves my quality of life.  It's the game changers that I really marvel at, and one of those marvels is the Amazon Kindle.

It has changed the whole publishing industry, and the way that most of us are reading or will be reading books and other written material, and we're just at the beginning of this shift.

I've always loved to read, but time, and space (you've got to keep those books somewhere), all but brought my old vice of reading to a halt.

Then I was given a Kindle.  I didn't know what to make of it at first, that lasted all of an hour or so.  Today, I'm reading more than ever.

I've got a Kindle (either the device itself or the app) with me everywhere, on my PC, on my laptop, at home, at work, on my phone.

I find that whenever I've got a moment, I'm reading something.  My interest in writing has also returned, and I'm seriously considering publishing something for the Kindle.  Gone are the barriers to the market, and that's a good thing.  Readers are smart, so if you do publish for the Kindle, be the best you can be, be on top of your game.

Being able to interact with what I'm reading via notes, tweets, facebook posts has given additional life to words.  It's a brave new world.... one we should embrace and take places once reserved for the imagination.

If you've got thoughts on this subject, feel free to share them via the comments section.

Melting Away

Melting Away, a photo by Damian Gadal on Flickr.

Lives that were once ours,
melt away like our dreams,
leaving the world for the young,
a crowded bazaar,
from which our fables sprung,
caught in a sunbeam...
melting away...

Q Block

Q Block, a photo by Damian Gadal on Flickr.

These things that came before,
just meaningless memories,
that we lock away, not savor...
Thieves waiting to take them away,
lurking in shadows and alleys,
kings and queens from the beltway.
Misery merchants making their deals,
and trading souls behind closed doors,
gone are the days of freedom and ideals.

Rumor Mill

Rumor Mill, a photo by Damian Gadal on Flickr.

The drop zone of our secrets
where our souls are laid bare
to a world of liars and zealots
that spin words into nightmares
'tis another election season
that of scandals and affairs
empty reasons to mark ballots
truth a tainted vixen
these shallows our gauntlet

Towering Above

Towering Above, a photo by Damian Gadal on Flickr.

Like a sanctuary of the mind,
not a place to retreat to,
more a place to draw strength from.
A vacation for the soul,
where thoughts echo and fade,
giving us perspective.

I saw my future

I saw my future, a photo by Damian Gadal on Flickr.

It was unavoidable,
we'd gone halfway down that road,
following others who'd gone before us.
They seem to have accepted this future,
knowing there's no turning back.
Though journey might be different,
the destination is always the same.

The climb up

The climb up, a photo by Damian Gadal on Flickr.

I've been sitting through software demos with a group of people that's so far behind the times that it seems unlikely they're ever get out of the hole they've dug for themselves.

We went through this exercise once before about four years ago, but never implemented any changes due to the recession.

What's striking about going through this all over again is how much has changed since the last time we did this.  The iPhone wasn't even around back then.

Now we've got smart phones and tablets ruling the market, along with thousands upon thousands of apps.  It's a mobile world, and software has gotten so much better.

This has resulted in the group I'm working with being even more behind than ever.  I guess that's government for you.  The only thing they seem to be able to do is to keep on digging the hole they're in deeper.

At this point it might be best to just outsource large portions of what we do.  It would be in the best interest of serving the public.

In a world where you need to adapt, improvise, and overcome the challenges and changes you encounter,  organizations that don't will wither and die.

Except, of course, government.... and it should.

Fresh Fruit

Fresh Fruit, a photo by Damian Gadal on Flickr.

Urban life has impacts on how we view the world.

Before we connected

Before we connected, a photo by Damian Gadal on Flickr.

Life was a tangled mess,
always ready to unravel,
save for the knots,
and complications...

Feed Me

Feed Me, a photo by Damian Gadal on Flickr.

Even our machines go hungry,
waiting for the economy to turn around.
Four years and counting,
waiting for the other shoe to hit the ground.

Don't have your number

Don't have your number, a photo by Damian Gadal on Flickr.

Every voice he'd ever heard,
returned to haunt him one restless night...
Chanting that dreaded word,
over and over again, he collapsed in fright.
They were calling out his true name,
and smiling with anger,
a rage unrestrained...
Odd numbers and names hurrying...
escaping in time...
night clocks out,
leaving everything looking the same...
He awakes with a shout.

Halls of bureacracy

Halls of bureacracy, a photo by Damian Gadal on Flickr.

They hide behind closed doors,
their faces in shadows,
while we roam the empty corridors,
looking for an answer.
What we get is vague and shallow,
excuses at best,
no cure for the cancer.
Put away your party dress,
you're no dancer,
give the poll a rest.

Barber Shop

Barber Shop, a photo by Damian Gadal on Flickr.

it appears,
along with the face you put on each day...
you wear a name,
hold a time,
and move from place to place.
no worries, no fear,
until you choose to stay.

Ain't no sunshine

Ain't no sunshine, a photo by Damian Gadal on Flickr.

at times the world seems dark,
a place filled with shadows,
a place without light...
that's when faith comes into play,
and turns night into day.

Panda Time

Panda Time, a photo by Damian Gadal on Flickr.

An exercise in color,
a slice of time...
absently she stands,
waiting in line.

When tears come down

When tears come down, a photo by Damian Gadal on Flickr.

This is one of those images I played around with instead of delete.

This often produces pleasant surprises.  It's like prying a secret out of an ancient text, or figuring out the meaning of something that's been baffling for years.

Images can communicate with a strange ambiguity, saying something different to every viewer.

Rotate this image and change the meaning.  Wouldn't it make a nice cover for an ebook?

Restricted Area

Restricted Area, a photo by Damian Gadal on Flickr.

Most people just don't seem to care or notice just how many of their freedoms have been taken away... and seem so willing to give the rest away.

Responsibility seems to be a burden people aren't willing to bear.

My world view

My world view, a photo by Damian Gadal on Flickr.

It's just fun to have a camera in my hand and step outside myself.  To become one with the moment.

I've got sand in my shoes

I've got sand in my shoes, a photo by Damian Gadal on Flickr.

The transformation is on.  Making these exciting times for those willing to adapt.  The barriers that used to be in the way, that stymied creativity, that held people back are all but gone.

If you want to write a book, create music, make images, broadcast, you name it, you can.

Distribution channels are being developed and used everyday, and they're all tied to the internet in one fashion or another.

It's a frontier, OUR frontier.

We need to embrace, nourish, and protect it.

The powers that be certainly don't understand it.  The old status quo is threatened by it.  And both will work together to control it, if they can.

We can't let that happen.

That's not in the best interest nor supports the greater good of the general population.

The internet is ours now.  Ours to make the world better.  Ours to take creativity to new places.  Ours as an expression of freedom.

Let's not let that go to waste.

It's not about you

It's not about you, a photo by Damian Gadal on Flickr.

Sunshine, do you dare
part the darkness...
most frightfully you try,
lifting from the edge.
How slow your efforts are.
Trembling I wait
on the other side.
You strain to push in tomorrow.
And with the sea
yesterday recedes
though continuously the tide
pounds away today...
I still wait for you,
to roll the darkness away.

Truth Distortion

Truth Distortion, a photo by Damian Gadal on Flickr.

It's become more and more obvious over time that the old media had little to nothing to do with the truth.

They've been opinion pushers for decades.  Selling lies as facts.

When it got to the point that they believed in their own faux reality, the seeds to their demise had borne fruit.

The masses now have access to other means of information, the old media had lost control.

The fight is on... may the best man win.

Names and Faces

Names and Faces, a photo by Damian Gadal on Flickr.

They cross our paths each day,
some leave no traces,
and just go their way,
heading to other places,
where they can stay...
just names and faces...