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Art, The Imaginary Family Project 2011

The 2011 Imaginary Family Project – Week 29

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#29 of 52 : THE OUTLAW
Imaginary Family Project Week 29

External Photo Clues:
None

Imagine:
After she died, my grandfather took this and every photo of her and put them in a drawer, and my mother and I moved back to the farm.

He didn’t talk to me much.  He didn’t talk at all, really, except to say, “Pass the ham,” or “Stop fussing, Delores,” when my mother tried to cut his meat or set out his pills.  I chewed my own dinner and watched them negotiate these new boundaries.

Sometimes I walked behind him as he plowed, kicking the dirt with my sneakers.  Sometimes he would say to me, “Good thing you’re here, son.  Now you can learn how to be a man.”  I was seven and had never realized that being a man was something that required study. Continue reading The 2011 Imaginary Family Project – Week 29 →

Art, The Imaginary Family Project 2011

The 2011 Imaginary Family Project – Week 28

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#28 of 52 : GRACE AND SAM
Imaginary Family Project - Week 28

External Photo Clues:
None

Imagine:
It wasn’t like her to be sentimental. Aching memories of joy seemed like such a waste of time, like blooming flowers at a funeral. Out of place and unwanted amidst so much sorrow. I mean really, would it ever bring your loved ones back? Did they really ever ease the heartache?

Indulging in these fleeting moments had lasting repercussions, but every once in a while, a memory blindsided her – every sight , every sound, every inch of her being was assaulted with that horrible stench of nostalgia.

“Hmmm… I thought I had gotten rid of him,” she said casually to the photograph on the floor. “We were a handsome couple. No denying that. Shame we couldn’t make a go of it.”

Even though she was alone, she felt compelled to keep her outward appearance strong and unaffected. But inside, inside she began the mourning process all over again, as if it had happened yesterday and not eight years ago. Her heart began to palpitate, engaging in that battle she had all too often when he entered her life. The storyline was always the same, smiles and laughter co-mingled with crashing cameos of betrayal and pain. Continue reading The 2011 Imaginary Family Project – Week 28 →

The Imaginary Family Project 2011

The 2011 Imaginary Family Project – Week 27

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#27 of 52 : BETH AND MABEL
Imaginary Family Project - Week 27

External Photo Clues:
None

Imagine:
I remember her hands, always her hands—moving when she talked.  Emphasis and emotion rolling from her fingers, a constant energy in the air.  Some nights I sat on the floor in front of her by the fire as she wound my hair in her hands, coiling each lock into a perfect pin curl.  “There, Beauty,” she whispered. “All ready.  Are you packed?”  For thirty years we were together.  For many of those years I was a photojournalist and split my life between worlds.  With them and abroad.

On that day in the photograph, she was coming out of the back of the cathedral, carrying the baby tucked closely to her.  She never took her out in a pram, wanting to keep the child constantly connected, it seemed.  But I had watched them in the church before.  I often came to the cathedral to study light and shadow.  Sinner and salvation.  To duck out of the rustling hum and chill of the city turning to fall.  To be lost.  To be found.  And then I found her there. Continue reading The 2011 Imaginary Family Project – Week 27 →

Art, The Imaginary Family Project 2011

The 2011 Imaginary Family Project – Week 25

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#25 of 52 : UNCLE FRANKIE
Imaginary Family Project - Week 25

External Photo Clues:
None

Imagine:
After selecting a picture for the Imaginary Family Project, I decided to post an ad at an online genealogy web site to see if anyone recognized the photo.   Much to my surprise I received a reply after only a few days.  Maryanne Ponder, from right here in Oklahoma City, emailed me, saying that she thought the little boy in the tree was her husband’s Uncle Frankie.  I asked to meet Mr. Ponder and she readily agreed, inviting me to their home.  The following is a rough, phonetic where appropriate, transcription of the interview that resulted:

Michael (“M”):  Thanks for meeting me.

Johnny Ponder (“JP”):  No problem.  It was a trip to see that picture.

M:  You recognized the photo right away?

JP:  Yeah.  I saw it and said to myself, “ah man, that’s Uncle Frankie!!” Continue reading The 2011 Imaginary Family Project – Week 25 →