Five riders and six cypresses

Today I thought of posting one of my contributions that wasn’t excepted by a past Visual Verse edition since I like it anyway.

I was wondering which photos would go with six riders. I know, six cypresses, thought I, gathered 10 photos of the same cypress field through the year, and then read my piece again. The riders are only five.

This was Visual Verse’s prompt visual for November with my unpublished contribution below.

Image by Frederick Cayley Robinson. Visual Verse, VOL. 09 CHAPTER 01.

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Five Riders of Five Apologies

If I wait just a little longer, seemingly supportively, she will tell me what I’m waiting to hear. But I can’t do that. She has no idea and keeps babbling away, like a monkey.

By the end of her monologue the cat will be gone, the sun will go in hiding and the Five Riders of Five Apologies will come riding in through the window like hunting dogs and demand them, the apologies, in blood if need be, or so I’ve been told.

The scene could surely use some blood.

Not long now.

The cat is off.

The first rider lands so gently that I wonder if his head is still on. He looks at me. She doesn’t see him. I turn towards her: “There are some things I need to tell you. I’m sorry for being a bad sister.”

The second rider crashes in with the fall. I say: “Since you were born, I’ve only wished for you to be happier than myself. By failing to do so, you hurt my feelings. I apologize for feeling.”

The third rider is late. I look at her: “It’s something that I need to do. I’m sorry that you don’t see it this way.” I see him outside. His horse is munching on some daisies. 

The fourth rider is dead by the river.

The fifth rider is called No Apologies.

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Every month Visual Verse publishes a visual and gathers writings between 50 and 500 words until the 15th of the month. Then 100 chosen ones are posted on their website. There are still four days to submit for January. My piece has been chosen five times so far and here you can read all five.

And now six cypresses in one field through last year, with one photo from 2020 and one from 2022.

May 11 2020.

March 31 2021.

May 18 2021.

June 3 2021.

June 25 2021.

October 29 2021.

November 15 2021.

November 19 2021.

January 1 2022.

If you really love this field and/or time lapse photos of this kind, here is an old post with the same field in even more photos and a ditty for Amanda’s old challenge. Let me repeat it here:

There once was a field in Toscana
that couldn’t decide what it’s gonna:
rest, freeze or make room
for poppies to bloom.
Once done, autumn said: “I don’t wanna.”

This day in my blogging history

• 

  2016: All my big mistakes are when I try to second-guess or please an audience. My work is always stronger when I get very selfish about it.

  —David Bowie

• 

  2017: My sister in Asia I.

• 

  2018: Thursday Doors from Sassetta

• 

  2019: Long live Friendly Friday Photo Challenge! This was my contribution for its first edition.

• 

  2020: Straight to inferno:

  “Inferno means hell, right?”
  I ask amore.
  “Ja,” he replies, in Slovenian,
  even though he is a romano. (Read on.)

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