Just One Place

I’ve been quiet.I mean, you can only writeso many...

Thu, 08 Jul 2010 17:55:10 -0400

I’ve been quiet.
I mean, you can only write
so many times
about being with someone
who doesn’t love you
back.

It’s exhausting.

We were supposed to
put the color
into everything
again.

Dear god.The nightmares only stopwhen I ask you to make them...

Sun, 02 May 2010 20:02:58 -0400

Dear god.
The nightmares only stop
when I ask you to make them stop
and I wake up feeling okay
but then I stand up
and there are the tidal waves.
I am sorry that I ask you for things.
I am sorry that I asked him for things.
Grace came from you both.

[full]

You line the top of your mantle,imported marble from Italy(a...

Wed, 24 Mar 2010 16:03:00 -0400

You line the top of your mantle,
imported marble from Italy
(a fact that you are sure
is supposed to mean something,
yet it doesn’t stir a single motion
in you), with colored bottles
and framed images of New England
songbirds and flora.

You do not fully unpack
for exactly twenty-one days.

You play your music low,
take afternoon naps with your cat
in the curl of your stomach,
get homesick for people
each Monday, quietly cry by Tuesday,
and start breathing at a normal rate
again by Wednesday.

You have planted a flower
in a small white pot
on your kitchen windowsill,
and for the first time it has grown
to bloom, yet for some
strange and indiscernible reason
it bends and reaches away from the sun,
away from the glass, away
from the warmth.

You are cutting your hair again,
this could only mean one thing.

You have tried to end your relationship
twice out of loneliness,
each time failing, each time
getting on a train
and traveling north.

You are certain,
that it wasn’t the last time.
You are not lost.

Things that occasionally make a person disappear:1.Let’s...

Tue, 16 Feb 2010 23:37:00 -0500

Things that occasionally make a person disappear:

1.
Let’s say a woman comes home after a weekend away to discover an unfamiliar pastel-colored toothbrush sitting expectantly by the sink. No questions are necessary. The woman does not unpack.

This is not personal enough, is it? Not quite enough of the truth, but enough of it to not be a lie.

2.
Let’s say there is the uncomfortable realization that your lungs have grown larger than any of your other organs and are now selfishly taking up far too much space in your chest. Breathing is now the only thing your body wants to do.

3.
You say you want nothing on your birthday but that is false. You want what everyone else wants. You go out to dinner and it’s nice enough, but then you’re sitting on a couch next to the person you love and they’re someplace else again and they won’t even touch you, as if they’ve forgotten how, and it’s not that you wanted it all wrapped up in pretty ribbons, but because it seemed like today was the sort of day to feel something important from somebody else.

How am I supposed to keep up?We are never in the same placeat...

Wed, 27 Jan 2010 17:26:00 -0500

How am I supposed to keep up?
We are never in the same place
at the same time.

help support Doctors Without Borders

Thu, 21 Jan 2010 11:24:00 -0500

Hey everyone. I know we’ve been making a whole lot of announcements recently but this one is actually a big deal.

From now on 20% of EVERY purchase made from http://justoneplace.etsy.com will be donated to Doctors without Borders. This, of course, is inspired by the recent tragedies in Haiti but will continue even after that is no longer “recent news.”

As a reminder: you are not limited to pictures limited on the etsy shop; you may request any picture from http://appleshavewings.com

We hope that you are doing what you can to help the people in need, whether it be donating money or time or even just praying if that is something you do.

Thank you for your readership and support of Just One Place.

Happy Happy!

Wed, 20 Jan 2010 23:14:56 -0500

There will be no JOP post today (as you may have noticed) as it is a special day for C. and she deserves the day off.

We’ll update again soon. Until then, Happy Happy!

I don’t believe in writers, or love, but perhaps this...

Wed, 13 Jan 2010 17:27:00 -0500

I don’t believe in writers,
or love, but perhaps this comes
with age. Everyone I know

is having a hard time lately.

How wide the space seems
when there’s no one to help occupy it.
Tell me again,
about the green of the mountains
and how eventually
things work out
in exactly the way
they’re supposed to.

I watch from your window as a flock of birds bursts from the...

Wed, 06 Jan 2010 21:57:00 -0500

I watch from your window as a flock of birds bursts from the neighboring roof top. Oh how I would love to fly, to explode into a whirl of feathers and hollow bones and go anywhere I wanted.

But birds don’t do that, do they? No, you tell me. They stay where they were born and mate for life and never see the world. So I’m doing better than a silly sparrow, you tell me. Yes, I say, yes, but wouldn’t it be wonderful to fly?

Words by S.; Picture by Mindstir Photography, NH Event & Portrait Photographer, http://www.mindstirphotography.com, jwood@mindstirmedia.com

super special announcement

Mon, 04 Jan 2010 00:17:00 -0500

It’s officially the one-year anniversary of the collaboration between C. and myself on Just One Place! In honor of this wonderful occasion we’re having a special in our shop:

From January 4th* until March 4th we will be giving away free prints with every purchase. For every $15 print you purchase you will receive ONE (1) 4x6 print. For every $25 print you purchase you will receive TWO (2) 4x6 prints. You may choose from almost any of the photographs on appleshavewings.com. 4x6 prints will not be mounted. Please include which photographs you’d like in the “message to seller” section. If no photos are chosen we will choose them at random.

Of course (almost**) any of the images posted to the site are available to purchase, not just those listed on etsy. All you have to do is custom request the image or email us, letting us know which image(s) you’d like to see for sale.

*purchases made between now and January 17th will not be shipped until after the 17th as I am out of town and thus have no access to a lab.
**any of those produced by me and some produced by C. The availability of C.’s photographs depends on whether we have a high enough resolution of it on hand.

Thanks for your readership!

-S.

announcement

Thu, 31 Dec 2009 00:58:00 -0500

Wow you guys, Wednesday just passed and I totally didn’t post. I really suck at this without C., huh? Also there’s vacation and holidays and all of that…

I recommend that you expect sporadic posting until after Jan 17th. Sorry for just letting it happen without warning.

Happy New Year to you all. Stay safe and well.

-S.

We decorate our tree with brightly colored flowers that I insist...

Sat, 26 Dec 2009 18:33:00 -0500

We decorate our tree with brightly
colored flowers
that I insist you leave up
until the new year.
Fires and tea mugs to distract us
from the feet of snow outside; blankets
and socks when the heat breaks.
You surprise me
with bright lights
draped around the bed
and your arms open and waiting.
For the first time
I can say I’ve gotten
everything
on my wish list.

Words by S.; Picture by Mindstir Photography, NH Event & Portrait Photographer, http://www.mindstirphotography.com, jwood@mindstirmedia.com

I can see your light from across the river and I know it...

Wed, 23 Dec 2009 13:20:00 -0500

I can see your light from across the river and I know it wouldn’t take long to get there. If only I could walk across water, if only I could hold my breath long enough, if only it weren’t so cold. It’s so bright I know I’d be warm with or without your arms around me with or without the stars visible with or without a blanket. If only you wanted me there.

Words by S.; Picture by Mindstir Photography, NH Event & Portrait Photographer, http://www.mindstirphotography.com, jwood@mindstirmedia.com

Announcement

Thu, 17 Dec 2009 02:08:26 -0500

Sorry for the lack of a post today (or yesterday, technically. Wednesday. You know). I (S.) had my last day of classes for the semester. Excuses, excuses. To make up for it I’ll be posting at least one additional time next week.

Announcement

Fri, 11 Dec 2009 18:20:36 -0500

Hey everyone. We hope you’re staying warm (in the Northern Hemisphere, at least…). Anyway…

Over the next few weeks C. will be taking a break to take care of some things so I’ll be working with guest photographers or writers. I’ve already been in touch with two wonderful ladies to take some pictures but thought I would open an invitation to all of you. If you would like to write or photograph for JOP during this interim please contact me, either via the linked email on appleshavewings.com or my own personal tumblr (which is also linked there).

We hope everyone is enjoying the season and surviving finals if you have them!

Cheers,
S.

You like things labeled; neat and organized, in lists you can...

Wed, 09 Dec 2009 17:33:00 -0500

You like things labeled; neat and organized, in lists you can count on. Rather than let birds fly around your head, you catch them and fill their light bodies with sand, mounting them to walls with cards that tell their latin names. Acrocephalus bistrigiceps means nothing to me, nothing like I love you, come here would, or even I’ve missed you.

You don’t know in which glass case to keep me so I try to tell you I don’t need one. I’ll stay without nails through my feet, my wings glued down. I’ll change my latin name to yours. I’ll be a part of your family.

Picture by C., words by S.

You cannot blame him for the wordsyou no longer believe in.The...

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 14:52:00 -0500

You cannot blame him for the words
you no longer believe in.
The nightmares, the startling awake,
the enveloping fog around your head
even after daylight has swept in.
It isn’t as if he’s done this to you.
People change. Sometimes slow
like seasons, sometimes quick, like
the sound of a coin hitting the floor.

Tails, you say. There’s a reason
you’re not the gambling type.
The too much talking,
the not enough talking.
You start to write a letter
but can’t get past “goodbye,”
and then falter again when deciding
where in his bedroom to leave it.
Inside one of his work shoes,
in another language. Something is wrong
here. Someone unfolded something
the wrong way. God, how you’re tired
of the “wrong way.” How do you sink
the boat in winter, brush the snow
off the pier? There’s only one answer.
You tried very hard.

Two hours into Maineand there isn’t a single human...

Mon, 30 Nov 2009 16:53:00 -0500

Two hours into Maine
and there isn’t a single human sound.
The air is wet and salt
pummels my senses.
I don’t want to go back.
I say this often, about many things.
He fits into the scenery
and I consider
what we’re escaping. I can’t find
the correct nouns. Perhaps verbs.
It isn’t as if these are new ideas.
Even at home, on cobblestone sidewalks
my feet itch and my brain starts shouting
impossible things about leaving.
It knows all about direction,
about opposite points on the map,
but want
is a selfish monster that knows
no logic. Even on its quiet days,
it is always there, whimpering
and tugging on loose clothing.
It’s either now or after winter.
Am I unhappy here,
or is unhappiness now overflowing
into all spaces?
There are flowers everywhere,
the carpet, the drapes, the bedspread.
It’s beautiful,
but it isn’t ours.

Announcement

Thu, 26 Nov 2009 22:02:00 -0500

Hey y’all. In case you couldn’t tell we took the week off for Thanksgiving. To make up for it, next week we’re going to be double posting! How fantastic!

We hope all of our readers in the States had a good Thanksgiving and everyone else had a good week.

-S.

I can’t remember the dayand everything soundsas if...

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 16:26:00 -0500

I can’t remember the day
and everything sounds
as if it’s on the bottom
of the ocean.

I want this
to be for you.