See prose and poems from over the years.
Author: Harry Bartlett
Comm Ave Mall
Snow and lights at dusk make for a blue Christmas on the Commonwealth Avenue Mall in the Back Bay Boston.
Amalfi Coast
Returning by ferry to the Amalfi coast from the island of Capri in Italy. This always reminds me of the song Tales of Brave Ulysses by the band Cream and the line ‘how his naked ears were tortured’. The myth was that Ulysses needed to be tied to the boat so he wouldn’t jump off and drown in pursuit of the ‘sirens sweetly singing’. Whenever I see those mountains I think of that song.
Pompeii
Pompeii includes modern sculptures alongside the archeological ruins. The modern artwork gives a sense of scale and compliments the ancient remains.
Marrakech
A wall in Marrakech, so many streets and walls in the Medina – a beautiful city with endlessly interesting vignettes.
Moroccan Mule
This was taken in Morocco, southeast of Marrakesh near the Atlas Mountains. The way the mule looks out and the web of green grass has a surreal quality to it that I find intriguing and hard to pinpoint why. Mules are an important part of Moroccan life since it’s mostly agrarian in the south.
This was taken on my second trip to Morocco and first time south of Marakesh. A truly beautiful and mysterious country.
Roger Federer
US Open 2016 – standing in the upper level of Arthur Ashe stadium. Being this high up I could shoot down for a more geometric flat background to the iconic Federer backhand.
Race Point Beach
A friend on the beach in the fog, Provincetown, MA. Was surprised to see so many seals and so few people on an August day though it had rained heavily earlier. She always had her arms out like this, it was her ‘thing’ when having her picture taken, which was smart since it’s hard to know what to do with your hands when being photographed especially if you’re not used to it. She is very capable too, always excelling – fitting this was taken on Race Point Beach, if there was ever a race, she’d give her everything to win.
Muir Woods
This was taken while visiting friends in Mill Valley and my middle son looking at colleges in California. We hiked in the Muir Woods and stopped for some food and something to drink. I don’t know much about California but this seems like a very California image of the water with mint.
Angel Island
I think this is called Angel Island. The photo was taken while staying near the Presidio In San Francisco. This island surprises me, how beautiful it is, how painterly and yet I’d never seen it before. I would think it has been photographed and painted many times before, it probably has I’ve just never seen it.
The island’s recent history is complex – a detention center for Asian immigrants, POW camp during WW II and now a state park.
Named by a Spanish explorer – Juan Manuel de Ayala who called it “Island of the Angels” inspired by a Catholic feast that occurred about the time he discovered it. And the name stuck – an apt name for a beautiful island.