#black and white photography, #prose

The Dragon Sleeps.

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The Dragon Sleeps. Photograph by Gray Summers.

Cough, Cough.

Hesitancy.

Cough-cough……..cough..cough

Quicker, insistent, persistent to

Chuff-chuff ……chuff, chuff…..Chuffing.

Quicker yet, to

Splutter, Spluttery Splutter to Thrum,

Thrum-thrum …….. thrum, t, t, t, thrum….like mis-beaten Drums.

To Rhythmic, insistent

Drumming.

Thrumming.

Into the Afternoon’s air.

A Roar.

Confidence to Confident.

Humming.

The Dragon Settles.

Chuckles.

Intent.

Master Chuckles back.

His sleeves rolled

Prepared

Sat upright.

Back straight.

For once…unbent.

Readying

For attack.

Work….not Toil.

Honest to Goodness

Effort.

Application.

Focus.

Shared.

The Day’s afoot.

Spent on soil.

Hours spent

On Hours……

Intense

Appreciation shown by

Nod-Nod-Nodding

At Nature’s continuation

In her application to Accepting

Common sense.

Eventually

To Splutter Down to…..

Silence.

That wonderful heartfelt silence.

Satisfaction.

Sigh in recognition

Of a Day

Much like those other days.

That nowadays always,

Create Aches that Invade

Deeply into

The honest bones.

Engine winds down.

Master climbs down.

Hot to Cool.

Both.

Once again.

Alone.

Yet not Lonely.

Complete.

The Master?

Leaves.

The Dragon?

In silence

Can Finally Sleep.

34 thoughts on “The Dragon Sleeps.”

    1. This was from twenty plus years ago. I spent a good few hours of the day photographing two farmers threshing and using old methods. Old tractors too. It was boiling hot chasing up and down the slope of the field. But great exercise. Shot two rolls of film. Cheers Brenda.

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      1. Just realised how this reply above may confuse. I took the photograph all that time ago. The words I wrote this morning. It’s a Saturday and being too relaxed to concentrate kind of thing! 😊

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      3. I do tend to look back where I put blogs from uploaded to draft. Maybe a couple of times a year. I do forget what I wrote in a fair few blogs. So they are sometimes a surprise. Thanks Brenda.

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    1. I did indeed print this a few times in the darkroom. Alongside the others taken on that day. The two farmers asked for them for keepsakes. They were performing old threshing methods. I remember them gathering the cut grass/hay and creating hour glass shaped bundles. However, this particular image here? I may of either scanned the print or the negative in the Epson. I either chose to filter with a high contrast choice in the enlarger or print on dedicated 4 or 5 grade paper. Never gloss paper choice. Always Matt. And usually old printing paper too. I used a vintage Wetzler enlarger with Ernst Leitz lens. I am, unfortunately, not as focused (excuse the pun) as yourself in recording information. I do not have any historical information. I never used any of those Adobe type tools. Only the basic clean up programme within the Epson scanner I believe. To get rid of minute dust spots that showed in the computer images. I used brush and ‘paints’ on printed results. So, long story short, I am unsure. And as a technophobe I cannot put any insight regarding the original scan uploaded to Flickr. This upload here is an iPad screen shot from my Flickr page.

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      2. 100 years of life hey! Read a poem the other day about having less time now than the years you have already spent on the planet. It was a strange, positive, comforting poem too. I never thought about producing a book you know. I suppose a small book of weird prose and thoughts with some images interspersed might be fun. But, as you say, where to find time. And the confidence to actually believe it could work. Loved your last black and white people images. I am still in awe, even though you explained your methods, to how you get such natural results. You must have a very immediate positive and kind persona to be able to relax people. Thank you for your encouragement re: the photographs.

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    1. Although I have heard of this film, I do not think I have ever seen it. My condition of Aphantasia (I cannot bring up any imagery whatsoever if I shut my eyes) means I cannot recall. If I do find it on a link, now you have tweaked interest, it would be great to watch it. I’m sure you would have spelled it correctly. 😊 All the best.

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      2. This is the third reply that I have found in spam this morning. Two other bloggers replies and this one of yours. Weird! I must check spam more often. Thanks for the explanation and the link. All the best.

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      6. RATS! just wrote a poem about it. THE SECRET OF NIMH–WIKIPEDIA says it was an animated TV movie from…1982. Based on a 1971 children’s novel entitled “Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH”, etc. Try that-?

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    1. Cheers cookie. I was taking film photographs of the day’s activities in performing their vintage threshing methods. They asked me to take them for their own keepsakes. I seem to remember about three farmers using their vintage tractors. So I remember the sounds of starting up. Chaotic when they were all in action. As you say, rhythm is found in many mechanical items. I used to hear the name ‘Jeremy’ in part of the washing machine cycle from swooshing water washing the clothes. The new washing machine, as yet, hasn’t come up with a name. Thanks cookie as ever.

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