(photo by Tabitha Bird)
I am Marco Polo.Last night I woke to find myself.
I was the ghostly form that hovered like a reflection above the waters of possibility.
I was the slight rocking of a boat moored to its pontoon, knocking knees with the the one beside.
I am Marco Polo.
She stood in front of me setting up a tripod.
I was the void of inky sea in front of her. Calm on the surface but underneath I was pressing my face up against the boarders I'd created inside me. The ones that were suppose to make it hurt less. The ones that kept me behind a glass no one would ever see.
She invited me to step up behind my camera. It was ready. Photo composed. Shutter speed set. Lens wide opened. A 30 second exposure to make use of the low light. Did I want to press the button?
I am Marco Polo.
I took the body of my camera in my right hand. So unfamiliar. A foreign object in the foreign land of photography. Through the view finder, I checked. Am I in focus? Do I see?
She stood beside me. A still shadow.
My finger paused just above the button. Was I ready to take the shot? Then I remembered, is anyone really ready for that? And...
I am Marco Polo.
A tender salt wind moved past my cheek. I clamored over the gates of my heart looked back over the gullies of my soul left behind after an old friend that once walked away... but
I am Marco Polo.
Without disturbing the spirit of the night and its becalmed boats I took the shot. Titling my head, I waited for the image to process counting every second of the exposure. My breathing. And her breathing.
Then, there it was.
"So?" she said, "What do you think?"
I nodded my head. A quite contentment. I smiled at her. We talked about something. And I knew. I'd let her in. I'd pressed my face up against the boarders of my own heavily guarded territories and I'd let her in.
In the car on the way back to her place I whispered inside myself,
"I am Marco Polo."
What about you? Do you ever find yourself up against your own boundaries. To you dare to push and discover more? Are you Marco Polo in your life, in your writing, in your living?
(photo taken at Manly Harbor not far from where I live. The image and the company I was in were both beautiful. It's fun to think that there may be more photo nights.)
I don't know who Marco Polo is, except as a game I played in the pool, but your sentences and imagery in this post is awesome! I'm glad you have a new friend. :-)
ReplyDeleteMarco Polo!!! The GREAT explorer! You didn't know that Jess? Oh my.I am going to have to come over there and and and... I don't know :))
ReplyDeleteNever mind. He was an explorer who pushed the boundaries. That is why I used his name.
That photo is gorgeous! Wonderful thoughts it produced. :O)
ReplyDeleteEchoes of history class. Marco Polo did push borders, as you are doing, Tabitha. I'm so proud of you, and I'm sure God is, too.
ReplyDeleteI hope I am Marco Polo-ing in my writing; I'm preparing to blend two books into one over the next few months. That feels very adventuresome to me! Here I go, across unknown waters...
Yep, I should just wear a sign that says I am here.
ReplyDeleteI get this. Beautifully written!
~ Wendy
Love it! I push my own boundaries as well as buttons but that's not quite the same, is it. :)
ReplyDeleteHope you have a great weekend!
I am definitely Marco Polo. Well, I was until I got married and had kids. But I can continue my adventurous life through my characters. Probably safer this way too.
ReplyDeleteI aspire to be Marco Polo. Sometimes I succeed. Sometimes not.
ReplyDeleteI love the photo and the mood it set for your post. I feel like I'm pushing the boundaries a lot lately, at least in my own ways. I like it.
ReplyDeleteI think I need to push the boundaries more.
ReplyDeleteOh I am trying! I think I've stepped back lately and I need to get back to seeking, exploring. Thank you for the reminder!
ReplyDeleteYou are so gifted. I always enjoy coming here. I often feel the only way to move foreword is to push myself.
ReplyDeleteFantastic photo to match a fantastic post! I love it.
ReplyDeleteBoundaries are little more than restrictions, and rules.
ReplyDeleteI like to break rules.
;)
TABITHA!!!! I LOVE THAT PHOTO. I want a print. I want a print. I want a BIG print.
ReplyDeleteIt is so peaceful to me. So reminiscent of a good thing...the one good thing in childhood...the harbor. The ocean raged everywhere else.
Thanks for all the comments here. I am enjoying the photography as much as the writing :)
ReplyDeleteOoo. Great images - both words and photo.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely you "know" something many don't.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your thoughts and this brilliant photo.
Beautifully written Tabitha, and I love the photo :)
ReplyDeleteYes, I truly understood this. These days though, sometimes I think I'm pushing too much. I hope it turns out to be a good thing though.
I'm Joan, or so I'm told. ;-)
ReplyDeleteI like the photo and words very much. :)
ReplyDeleteA unique style of writing. :) I enjoy reading it. :)
I agree with TAnne. You are gifted with such a beautiful way of writing. As I read it, I think of how I could never write that way--your voice is strong.
ReplyDeleteGorgeous photo. Gorgeous words. There's even more magic here than before as you combine the two.
ReplyDeleteI love you new blog look, too.
Make that YOUR new blog look.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful photo! I love sail boats, although we have a ski boat and have never sailed....
ReplyDeleteThe poem was lovely, too Tabitha!
I am loving the Marco Polo running through, hammering in the inside of my brain.Reminding me I need to start 'pushing those boundries' again. Blow the aging process!
ReplyDeleteYou are so talented! Wow, Tabitha. Beautiful. And the photo is gorgeous.
ReplyDelete