I imagined doing something that looked a lot better — that I had spent more time and care on. Alas, it was not to be. I might take another stab at producing a piece that is composed differently and satisfies me.
Kali gave me two choices for my get-pushed challenge. She said: “Mary have you ever done a victorian headless portrait? you could either do that or a personal footprint 'selfie' for the 5+2 challenge coming up this week where you take a photo showing where you have been as a way to tell something about you, rather than taking a photo of yourself.”
So, obviously I chose door number two. Some other time I may try chopping off my own head or that of someone I love. This is a rather literal interpretation of where I have been, with a nod to the drawers of snapshots, boxes of old letters, and piles of paper stuff from past years that fill the space I live in.
In the lower left inset you can see a map of Manhattan (Kansas, not NY) with approximations of where I live now (yellow star), and where I grew up (green triangle).
There’s an inset above that shows Central Minneapolis, MN. Frank and I lived there for 28 years, before leaving our home in Minnesota, to move back home to Kansas. I didn’t try to show the five different addresses — three of them are just a bit out of frame, anyway.
On the US map I put a red marker on Minneapolis/St. Paul, a blue dot on Madison, WI where I was born, a green one for SweetWood Temenos (you’ve probably seen pictures from there I’ve posted over the years), and a little black dot approximately where Salina, KS is. I went to college there for two and a half years.
As it happens, Manhattan falls into the crack between the pages. Thus the title I’ve given this: “Where I Live - In the Gutter” Is there a six word story challenge going right now?
