The dawn is breaking, Sunday morning
Winter yields to springs flirtations
The valley pulses with potential
A kid and a Kodak set up station.
Image painted on the back of his eyes
Pastoral scene bathed in filtered light
Gradients of amber and steel blue
Carefully aligned in aperture sight
F-stop locked
Focus set
Light just right
Don’t breathe yet
In an instance the image transforms
Click! Breath. Time caught in emulsion
In that moment the image becomes his
Just one frame so carefully chosen
The roll complete
And now he waits
Film takes time
Patience dilates
Now the boy has nothing to do but wait
Development didn’t happen overnight
And though that time seemed to stretch on long
This is where imagination took flight
What his eye perceived
An outcome demands
Analog patience
Confidence withstands
At long last the prints have arrived
Sourced from the local photomat
Anxiety peeks just before the reveal
A roll full of dreams in glossy format
A kid and his Kodak caught
What his inspiration bore
And depth of field produced
What patience paid for.
Mannino Acid 