Tag: photo

Quiet Corners

Hannah Park Leave a comment

Hello, and welcome back to Captured Moments! While my previous blogs captured my life as a piano performance major, this year, I am shifting the perspective of “captured” in my blogs. I love to take pictures of everything I see—literally. So, I want to incorporate my love for photography into my musical life. 

I captured this photo while walking back to my house, because of the stillness and peaceful simplicity. The empty streets, sun going down, and quiet houses are translated to the gentle and nostalgic melodies of a certain song that I correlate this image to; “Gymnopédie No. 1”

Satie’s musical composition evokes the mood of this photo, as the slow tempo and harmonies blend to form a beautifully nostalgic piece. Much like the straightforward and clean singing lines of Gymnopédie, this picture has simple lines and minimalist texture. It is straightforward, yet full of complex musicality. 

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TL0xzp4zzBE) Performed by Khatia Buniatishvili.

Emotionally speaking, I felt a wave of nostalgic happiness as it reminded me of my childhood. I also felt a bit of sadness when I realized that time was moving fast. As sophomore year is finished, I will only have two years left at the University of Michigan. Being in the moment while I took this picture, I came at peace, standing alone and reflecting on the quiet corners of the street. 

Capturing Campus: Panic

EKArts Leave a comment

TW: Mild gore

Panic

It starts with a s u r g e

not like a seizure’s electrical storm

but a thickening of your skull

soupy membranes turned slick and wiry 

veins puffed up and tangled

Entrapped in your mind

the heat pounds heavy and gross

filling your ears with thoughts

taking no form, no substance

unintelligible thoughts of the present and future

And exposure 

a naked vulnerability as eyes find you

where all senses and sense of peace have eroded

and you question whether peace ever was

or was it always anticipation?

of a quiet that won’t last

But you beg for one that lasts

you stupidly, ridiculously beg for one that lasts

for a tranquil touch you swore you used to know

Was it seconds ago or longer

so familiar and so far

with tainted bones 

a brain stained and comprehending

that a dull poison 

will still kill you 

Capturing Campus: Homebody

EKArts Leave a comment

Homebody

The copper hinges on the backyard door groan when it rains

pipes thundering like a dejected one man drumline

the clothes line snapped last month

just before the sink ran dry

but the wallpaper got wet somehow

and the ceiling weeps every morning

It sags like peeled flesh

with mold like hair growing 

or maybe I’m imagining the fuzz in the fridge

that’s not frigid anymore

and I wonder if that’s why they call fridges fridges

or if chairs always had three legs instead of four

but that can’t be right because the kitchen table has two 

and my bed squeaks because it’s lonely

I’ll grease the hinges next time it rains

Capturing Campus: My Savior

EKArts Leave a comment

TW: Sexual assault, domestic violence, toxic relationships

My Savior 

Should I bless

the carving in my chest

where your words plucked at veins

and picked at my pulp

wrap me up and keep me

Should I weep

as you leave

Would it relieve 

this bleeding heartache

aching for your nails digging in

for the impact of your fist

the raised bruises on my arms

burning between my thighs

It was always you I begged for

I wanted the hurt you’d give me

even still I do

sometimes miss you 

miss the misconception 

that I deserved this

and that kneeling on my knees

was deliverance

I begged you to deliver me 

holy and broken 

dignity like a lemon peel

I’m worth nothing to you

and I owe you your falling flesh

without a kiss

of apology or sympathy 

No goodbyes

for the liars and sadists 

because you killed me

and I saved me

Capturing Campus: The Fog (Revisited)

EKArts Leave a comment

This is a counter to the first poem I made for the blog way back in 2021! In it, I explored feelings of isolation and the sense that those around me were living their lives while I succumbed to my own struggles. I wanted so badly to take hold of my life, but I felt I couldn’t. This revisitation conveys a resolve to live, and serves as a reminder that nobody has things “figured out,” and that that is perfectly alright. 

The Fog (Revisited)

Apart from everyone

pure silence punctures

thick fog

not by choice

Not special but singular

beings rush by 

defined while I am not

speaking where I cannot

Self-pitiers do not prosper 

I transition to spite myself:

a new person of different desires

deeper volition 

not helpless but harboring demons

in the dark and daytime

Concealment isn’t comfort anymore

I am strange and suffering

no different from the spectators 

The fog recedes 

I see now

the world isn’t new

but I am in it

Streetlight at U-M