photos & text by douglas john imbrogno
Aren’t we forever being told ‘CAUTION‘? And that ‘This Door Must Be Kept Closed’?
Those are often the best doors to open. Ones kept shut by the people
with a vested interest in keeping them closed.
‘Must Be.’ | Alleyway, St. Albans, W.Va. | September 2022 | TheStoryIsTheThing.substack.com photo
I wonder, sometimes, whether the cruciform, outstretched arms of the cross
have more to do with tossing an incipient hug into the world’s skies.
Myself, I prefer the coruscating froth of leaping water.
‘Water Works.’ | Barboursville, W.Va. | September 2022 | TheStoryIsTheThing.substack.com photo
Whose dreams were dreamt of what behind these broke doors & windows?
Now, I can’t recall the turn in the road I made, outback of some
desolated West Virginia town where this was snapped.
‘Posted.’ | Eastern West Virginia, somewhere. | July 2022 | TheStoryIsTheThing.substack.com photo
Someone’s Over-the-Rhine outing in Cincinnati one cold February day.
The stoop tequila is ‘Lunazul,’ which maybe translates ‘Blue Moon.’
A finger of booze in the plastic cup like they are coming back.
‘What You Will Have.’ | Cincinnati, Ohio. | February 2023 | TheStoryIsTheThing.substack.com photo
The solitary figure in the corner. The stranger who could be a friend. The person
to leave alone as you prefer to be alone when in a corner of solitude.
The other person who may be a saint or sinner, like the rest of us.
‘Working Out.’ | Mea Cuppa, Charleston, W.Va. | February 2023 | TheStoryIsTheThing.substack.com photo
I turn my camera towards the Earth one cool January day out in the marsh.
Find a tangle of dry growth. Thoughts tangle up like this. Yet, out here,
it all looks untangled. Like how it’s supposed to be.
‘Growth Pattern.’ | Hoeft Marsh, Greenbottom, W.Va. | January 2023 | TheStoryIsTheThing.substack.com photo
What will last of all our works, we humans making works? Look up,
the best ceilings in the best churches, these will last awhile, sure.
Until, like all else, they, too, diminish, disappear & glory-fade.
‘Up, Up and Away.’ | First Presbyterian Church Marsh, Charleston, W.Va. | June 2022 | TheStoryIsTheThing.substack.com photo
We singer-songwriter types jones hard for your attention. Probably still
chasing our high-school rockstar dreams even as we grey or stay put.
Here’s the best harmony or lick I can offer. May it be good enough.
‘Next Up.’ | Coal River Coffee Company, St. Albans, W.Va. | September 2022 | TheStoryIsTheThing.substack.com photo
We spend much of our lives waiting around with other people, don’t we?
The blessing or curse is with whom we find ourselves waiting. May they
be interesting, not tedious. Worth, actually, sharing our moments.
‘Jim’s Women.’ | Huntington, W.Va. | November 2022 | TheStoryIsTheThing.substack.com photo
Should I be trying to save some portion of the world right now?
Yes, of course. But let me prep this cigar. Read the NYRB and
finish this wine. Then, I will be good to go, again.
‘Eyes on the Prizes.’ | Huntington, W.Va. | October 2022 | TheStoryIsTheThing.substack.com photo
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4 comments
How you see what is obvious and beyond at the same time, then find words that take me somewhere else … meditation in disguise.
Thank you, Sue. I very much appreciate your comment and your sharing in these readings!
Clicking to view your photos and commentary is always a good choice. Especially when the photos are black and white.
Thank you, Barbara. I have fallen in love with the many different ways black-and-white photography communicates an image as opposed to color. They each, obviously, have their place. But some scenes, images, settings, people reveal themselves in such a deeper fashion, almost conversely, than if you limit the color palette to blacks, whites, and greys. I appreciate you comment.