Continuing along the thread of poetry I started, I found (was given, actually, by my poetry troubadour friend) this simple poem about simplicity by a Palestinian poet named Taha Muhammad Ali.

Every since I started making images, I have been striving for simplicity. It’s what speaks to me most directly and powerfully and what resonates most deeply. Often it is a simple impression I want to convey, a feeling, a mood, even an idea…

This week’s photo challenge is about capturing moments of wonder “when the infinite catches us by surprise” stumbling “upon it in things both big and small.”  And for me, it is often the small things that I return to over and over — a silent leaf caught in the light can be every bit as glorious as the thumping thunder of Victoria Falls.

Twigs

And so

it has taken me

all of sixty years

to understand

that water is the finest drink

and bread the most delicious food

and that art is worthless

unless it plants

a measure of splendor in people’s hearts.

TAHA MUHAMMAD ALI

I recently read a wonderful post by Leo Babauta of Zen Habits that touches beautifully on the essence of simple living. It’s about stripping down to the very basics — and revelling in them.

Sharing with Friday Finds.