No Noise

I wanted to get home before dark. But the never ending lefts and rights that greeted me as I got to each street corner were too inviting. I felt intrigued with every step. And after many yards led by my curiosity, the sun was setting. The sky was painted beautiful pink and orange hues that were soft yet so pigmented at the same time. I imagined the angels painting in heaven, just before the sun goes out. The place from which I stood, looking up at the sky, did this image no justice. The beauty was guarded by housing and streetlights and wires draped seemingly idly from their respective poles. I had little time and suddenly, I was compelled to capture this moment. I wanted to experience this as fully as I could.

Thus ending my journey of spontaneity, I now had a goal; the park. I started on the oncoming blocks with swiftness. My headphones dangled around my neck. I began to focus on two things: my breathing and the steps I took. They seemed to work in unison, both keeping me going. There was a certain love that I felt for the planet as I made my way. I loved the feel of the oxygen as it filled my lungs and the carbon dioxide as it was released. The feel of the concrete and gravel beneath my sneakers. The thumping noise as I made my strides. That noise seemed to mimic my heart, and in that moment I had never felt so alive. I watched the trees sway as I passed them by, their new spring leaves fluttering in the cool breeze. I felt like them in a way, the feeling of being one with your environment, letting it transform you then moving as it moves. Calm and easy.

And with what felt like no effort at all, I ended up at the park. Feet planted firmly on the grass, looking up at the bare sky, mouth slightly open, no distractions. In this moment, I was taken back to my photography class in eleventh grade. Ms. DelGuidice would always say, “there needs to be a focal point in your photograph, there should be no noise.” I could tell you that while looking up at this angel-painted sky from the park, there was absolutely no noise.