That day in Warsaw I met with my namesake, a woman of great intellect and sensibility, the philosopher Monika M. We had coffee and shared a pastry, briefly discussed my visit to her class at the Art Academy, her work, my work. I showed her a book I received as a gift maybe the day before, a book based on another book and about the turbulent life of a woman who lived a long time ago and more than anything wanted to be a writer.
And then I had to run. Or perhaps she did. This was back in October of 2015, a time of much expectations and excitement. Everything still seamed so very possible. Attainable. Within reach. Upon my return back to New York I fell back into the grueling schedule with a renewed sense of determination. Oh but those proverbial winds of change rustled already somewhere in the distance.
Photographs are a map to both the past and the future. Looking at them is the present.
lisa - Monishka, you captured so much in so little! Both in your words and images.I wasn’t there with you two Monika M.s that afternoon, but you gave me a sense of being there, at least a little. And I like the way you summed up the act of looking at photos, which is indeed, timeless. For who can say where and when we are rooted when’re looking at a photo, or reading a book: the time of now, or the time of the image?
The other Monika too looks like someone I may have wanted to meet too.
Monika Sosnowski - Thank you Lisika! Love your thoughtful and observant comment. How brilliantly you imagined the act of looking at photographs! Being rooted. YES!!!
Monika Sosnowski - Lisika – I do hope you’ll meet the other Monika one day 🙂 You’ll love her!
Monika Sosnowski - Lisika! I replied to you, above, but it turns out I was just commenting on my own post.. The world of blogging, although familiar to me, still requires a learning curve. 🙂