Exploring Edges with Photography & Poetry
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A Photography and Poetry Project by Norah Weir Oulahen and Kim Manley Ort
We live in a world of boundaries. borders, edges, things that separate and things that connect. Stanly Plumly, in his book The Marriage in the Trees writes,
"In ornithology there occurs the phrase the abrupt edge which, according to the bird books, is the edge between two types of vegetation... where the advantages of both are most convenient."
Plumly says that natural edges can be very gradual or more abrupt, like a forest's edge.
On the edge can be found the greatest diversity, chaos, danger, and opportunity. I must admit that I was blown away when I first heard the quote by Stanley Plumly.
The edge is the place where things happen! Risk and opportunity go hand in hand.
My friend, artist and poet, Norah Oulahen, and I collaborated on this project. I provided photographs with "edges" and she wrote poems inspired by the photographs.
I hope you enjoy our creations and that it inspires your own project.
"When you have come to the edge
Of all light that you know
And are about to drop off
Into the darkness of the unknown,
Faith is knowing
One of two things will happen:
There will be something solid
to stand on or
You will be taught to fly"
~ ThinkExist.com
Edge of the Gulf
Poetry by Norah Weir Oulahen
My friend Norah and I developed this project while taking walks on the Gulf of Mexico in January of 2009. This image from that time reminds me of our conversations.
Imagine how many deep talks and silent thoughts occur while thousands of people walk the beach every day. The surf constantly takes away the footprints but the thoughts and conversations live on.
Edge of the Gulf by Kim Manley Ort
"I want to stand as close to the edge
as I can without going over.
Out on the edge you see all the
kinds of things you can't see
from the center."
~ Kurt Vonnegut Jr
ThinkExist.com
Rocks, Sea & Sky
Poetry by Norah Weir Oulahen
This image was taken on the Western coast of Ireland, a place where my ancestors came from and set sail for Canada. As I stood on these rocks, I thought of them leaving their homeland for the unknown.
Standing at the edge of a vast body of water sometimes makes us think of people we miss and love, whether alive or dead.
Rocks Sea Sky by Kim Manley Ort
Birds Like to Hang Out at the Edge
"I think we are always running from the edge. We want to feel safe. There are risks waiting or disappearing there. Our lives are touched by rim hugs." ~ Norah Weir Oulahen
Have Your Say about Edges
What does the edge mean to you?
1. An exciting place, filled with potential.
jamespete says:
As one tectonic plate slides under another . . . earthquakes and tsunamis, but also great views and healing waters. It's where the action is.
sheilamarie says:
I must admit, most of my life has been lived on the edge, though at heart I am a home girl, wanting nothing more than family and love, oh, and yes, to leap into the arms of the divine!
crosscreations says:
Going to the edge is taking a small but healthy risk, venturing out to new horizons and testing new waters.
AddaptAbilities says:
I love edges and boundaries, both for their ability to contain, and my ability to transgress them.
LotusMalas says:
In yoga, exploring your edges means taking a pose to just behind that border of "too much," because the edge is where improvement, insight, and transformation takes place!
2. Scary and dangerous. Give me the center anytime.
kimmanleyort says:
I have to admit that the edge is a little scary sometimes.
Field of Layers
Poetry by Norah Weir Oulahen
This is one of those photographic opportunities that you have to train your eyes to see. An ordinary field, yet extraordinarily beautiful.
Field of Layers by Kim Manley Ort
Energy at the Edge
Poetry by Norah Weir Oulahen
I absolutely love the poem that my friend Norah created for this piece. The energy of the water is balanced not only by the solid earth at the shoreline but by the rock in the upper left-hand corner. It's always important to have balance in our lives.
Energy at the Edge by Kim Manley Ort
The End of the Day
Poetry by Norah Weir Oulahen
Another poem and photo from the Gulf of Mexico. Instead of footprints in the sand, we explore what happens to all of our thoughts at the end of the day. We need a little rest to let them simmer.
"For me, creativity is the stuff you do
at the edges. But the edges are
different for everyone,and the edges
change over time.If you visualize the
territory you work in as an old
Boston Bruins sweatshirt, realize that
over time, it stretches out, it gets
looser, the edges move away.
Stuff that would have been creative
last year isn't creative at all today,
because it's not near the edges
any more." ~ Seth Godin
Do you work from the edge or the center?
Please share your thoughts.
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elsahc Mar 29, 2012 @ 2:35 pm | delete
- I live on the edge...and even named my very first blog (before blogs were called blogs) "Almanac from the Edge". It is about the edge of the natural world where I live, and is written for guests coming to my Cort Cottage Bed and Breakfast...
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flicker
Mar 14, 2012 @ 3:00 pm | delete
- Beautifully done! Loved the photos and poems. I especially liked "Rocks, Sea, Sky".
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vallain Aug 15, 2011 @ 3:08 pm | delete
- What beautiful, collaborative efforts. Well done.
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sheilamarie Jul 28, 2011 @ 4:33 pm | delete
- You inspire me so much, Kim! I love your photos and Norah's poems.
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annmackiemiller May 30, 2011 @ 6:32 am | delete
- beautiful - awesome - Angel blessed and featured on my May 2011 - angel blessed lens
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About the Author
The Nature of Photography
by kimmanleyort
Latest Posts from my blog, Be Inspired
Find more Poetry from Norah Oulahen
At the Poet in Me and You
by kimmanleyort
Mother, wife and photographer who never stops learning. I love combining words and poetry with my images. Here is a project with my friend and poet, Norah... more »
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