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thoughts become beliefs become

Ellen Crofton

Tripping in time to that upbeat disapproval

checking to see if you saw

making sure the crescendo falls when

something rises.

Vandalise the curves, the blemishes

the thinking,

unsure what that body means, feels –

normalising that voice

which becomes the chorus

with a Mariah Carey              finale.

 

You find yourself swaying –

 

familiar with the notes, the rises;

not long after you find yourself dancing.

Join in

you know the lines

 

A ritual that still hums when not practiced

danced to when not preached

until thoughts and beliefs are alike

like friends mock-dancing in a club.

Then you find the girl called Her

staring back through glass

not sure why she can’t look

below the neck.

She sways again:

you know the lines

She sways again,

you know th-

with eyes closed this time.

Opens.

For a brief second

she paints over the graffiti

on the curves, the blemishes,

the thinking

until next time.

 

But it’s alright.

thoughts become beliefs.jpg

My own work is self-labelled as documentary photography, out of a lack of a better title. By carrying a camera daily, I aim to embody the spirit of the Brownie in making the means to photography ready to me at every moment, without obstruction – by doing so, I can take a photograph of anything that captures my eye and interests me enough to preserve. Any of us can do this these days, with a camera readily available in our pockets around the clock – and many of us do so without even thinking about it. Next time you take your phone out to take a photograph, whether it is of your friends or of something that caught your eye, think about how you are participating in the act of documenting your life through photography. Make prints of your favourites, display them on your walls, share them with your friends and family. Follow the tradition of those who came before you and took their own snapshots documenting their lives. Everyone is a documentary photographer today, and this is a good thing.

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