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Silk purses

Aside Kate@athousandbitsofpaper26 Comments

He asked me

What on earth do you write about at 3am?

I tried to explain it

Probably failed

Because

You have to know what it’s like to sit in a dustbin full of crumpled papers for a headspace

Where thoughts are compressed and expelled like vapour

All day long and in such quantitude that I wonder

Where they all come from

And where they go

And although I try to sit and watch them

Disconnected

And protected from their distraction

Some are really exciting

Or disturbing

So I collect them

And at 3am

I take my intellect

Straighten all that crumpled paper out

And make sense of it

Fashion silk purses

Though I wonder where expressions like that come from

From sows ears

I guess you could say

And who first said it

These sorts of things

At 3am

Seem

Terribly interesting

Ha

Which is why I don’t sleep once my brain is awake and curious again.

Monochrome photography calms my brain. I had no idea how restful and beautiful I would find the process. It feels magical and I can’t explain why except to say there is no distraction and it is all about the pattern, light, shade, form and composition. I resisted it for a long time, now I can’t seem to get enough.

A few more from the beach this afternoon (which is the last place I would have thought it possible to prefer monochrome over colour!)

Floofy
Light and reflections

26 thoughts on “Silk purses”

  1. Lovely pictures here. I think monochrome is so appealing because it also simplifies, visually. Life – and the millions of inputs always coming at us – can be so ‘noisy’, and toning down the colours just resonates with us because it alleviates some of that inensity.

    I can’t relate to the 3 a.m. thoughts, though. Can’t say I’ve ever been inspired to write in the middle of the night.

    Reply

    • Hi Yacoob. Once my brain is awake I may as well give up and write. Sometimes I can then go back to bed for an hour or so but not always. Luckily I’m a high energy person, as long as I go to bed before 8.30…and now I’m late so best be off to bed!

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  2. Monochrome–yes! And at 3am I can try and spin silk purses too, Kate. I’m so glad I’m in good company! And here you are, spinning the words that we can understand. And the pictures? Priceless! I want to kiss that Floofy face! Beautiful, Kate. 🐾🤍❣️ X

    Reply

    • Thanks Karla, it’s such a funny saying but like all the old sayings has an immediate strand of truth. Yes that dog – so floofy. Lots of dogs here and of all varieties – for we dog lovers it is a paradise.

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    • Thanks Camilla. I don’t k ow why we have so many thoughts when 90% of them are fluff and the odd one like blooming heck I left those eggs boiling over on the stove! Are actually helpful. And then there are the insights and poetry, connections to dots that were puzzling me – these all occur first thing in the morning and before the bin begins to fill up. Yes I’m loving monochromatic photography at the moment. It allows me to answer questions with my camera rather than be left asking …

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      • Oh, man, this made me laugh! Connecting the random-thought dots. 🙂 And I’m really digging your monochromatic experiment. I’m a fan of that, for whatever reason. It makes me think of how other animals see, those who see less of the color spectrum than we do (dogs and cats, for example) and those who see more of it (bees, say). There is much to be gained from having a particular sense, and also much to be gained from lacking one.

      • I never thought of the animals that see differently like dogs and bees and no doubt many of other species. For me it narrows the options and simplifies. Less really is more in this situation. Then again when I do go back to colour – which I will at some stage – I’ll be like Iris Apfel and be like “oh darling more is more and less is boring” 😂

      • Different ways of perceiving abound in nature and are a lesson for us about perception, about other species and also about fellow humans with “disabilities,” IMO.

        And “more is more and less is boring!” LOL!!! 💗

  6. This poem is incredible! I’m someone who writes the majority of my blog posts in the middle of the night and people have never really understood it, but to me that’s when all the thoughts I’ve collected feel free to come out. Thank you for writing this and allowing me to relate.

    Reply

    • We can write with the subconscious mind rather than the one which edits so heavily. For me, poetry is the language of the subconscious mind or at least it relates better to that layer than the more edited mind that is uppermost during the day. Glad you get it.

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  7. beautifully written, Kate — and I love that metaphor of silk purses; and I can relate to this as I too am a hostage to these thoughts that besiege at 3a.m —

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  9. Love this, it seems my brain can never write anything during the day time but it switches on just past midnight and won’t turn off until around 4 am so I can definitely relate to this! I love the was you wrote this as well and how it flows. And photos do give off a different feel when they are perceived in a monochromatic manner, so I understand what draws you to this.

    Reply

    • Thanks for your thoughtful response Audrey, it’s funny how we are all different with when we write. I’m a different person before 6am, I’m quite sure of it. I don’t mind waking up early if that is when I write and think best. Colleen McCulloch, one of my favourite writers used to apparently write all hours of the night – and only at night.

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      • It is indeed very interesting to see what one writer’s process is to another’s. Different methods and processes work for different people just like no writer writes just like another. That’s what makes reading what other people write so entertaining and engrossing. 🙂

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