Monday, May 2, 2016Issue 08.01LDOC free art

Meditations on TimePhotographs by Philip Dembinski

ChildhoodPoetry by Natalie Unger

Vectors

When you find yourselfstraining to see thefootprints a year left onyour face,

or entwining withthe smooth mahoganysurface of thegrandfather clock,

or barring the doorsso you are confinedwith three sick convicts:“May as well,”“Should be,”“By now,”

or noticing a black birdclaw at your chestand screech in your earwhen you lay idly,

or crumbling upthe breathtaking swirlsof your imagination –a pragmatic trade;

Remember,you are a vector,not a stone.

Progress

Progress.

The slow movement of one limb,then the other. The harsh truth thatresounds through your bones as youswing two cement legs over the edge ofwhat feels like the tallest city scraperlooking down on the grey, the cold, thefilth, the astounding pattern of humansfloating like feathers about their days.

The acquiescence of a tired frame thatmoves like a split worm through the citycraters and cement terrain to be pressedby a two ton rubber stamp of fluorescentlights and connect its listless hands toa murky brain.

The quiet pleading of an empty gut thatbargains with shaky fingers and a stiff jawas two feet shuffle across an unsweptfloor toward the dull knife on thebutcher’s block. The laborious breathingas point hits membrane and ironburns a moment too long so soot hits thetongue ‘til the hunger is gone.

The easing of a single notch on atwisted spine around a burning chestwhen a gentle hand touches the small ofthat back like a pile of sand too far fromthe shore. The forced smile and the deep breath and the dodged contact with two eyes. A heart that was dulled is now pounding.

Progress.

Progress

Progress.

The slow movement of one limb,then the other. The harsh truth thatresounds through your bones as youswing two cement legs over the edge ofwhat feels like the tallest city scraperlooking down on the grey, the cold, thefilth, the astounding pattern of humansfloating like feathers about their days.

The acquiescence of a tired frame thatmoves like a split worm through the citycraters and cement terrain to be pressedby a two ton rubber stamp of fluorescentlights and connect its listless hands toa murky brain.

The quiet pleading of an empty gut thatbargains with shaky fingers and a stiff jawas two feet shuffle across an unsweptfloor toward the dull knife on thebutcher’s block. The laborious breathingas point hits membrane and ironburns a moment too long so soot hits thetongue ‘til the hunger is gone.

The easing of a single notch on atwisted spine around a burning chestwhen a gentle hand touches the small ofthat back like a pile of sand too far fromthe shore. The forced smile and the deep breath and the dodged contact with two eyes. A heart that was dulled is now pounding.

Progress.

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Engagement Grant from Crusade for Art.

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Philip Dembinski is a portrait and documentary photographer based out of the Humboldt Park neighborhood in Chicago, IL. He received his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 2008 from Columbia College Chicago. He has shown work internationally including, Flak Photo’s 100 Portraits, 100 Photographers traveling exhibit, and is part of Catherine Edelman Gallery’s Chicago Project. His inspiration comes from chance encounters, disquieting landscapes, and subtle expressions. Additionally, Philip is a teaching artist at the Marwen Foundation where he leads both digital and analogue photography classes for Chicago’s youth. http://www.philipdembinski.com Natalie Unger is a writer residing in Chicago. She first began writing poetry when she was 13. Natalie has read her poetry at various events throughout Chicago, including Salonathon and the Moonlight Owl Collective. Most recently, she wrote on-the-spot, improvised poems for the Chicago Art Department’s annual fundraiser. For Natalie, poetry is a tool of empathy and a pathway toward deep introspection for all people. She hopes to go back to school for her MFA and one day work with women to empower them to tell their stories through writing. Natalie regularly writes customized “Five Minute Poems” on her typewriter for anyone who submits a theme to her blog. www.five-minute-poems.tumblr.com

LDOC is a free photography and creative writing publication featuring a new local artist and writer each month, creating an installment-based experience for the Chicago commuter. Find LDOC in red newspaper boxes at the following Red Line stops: Howard St., Belmont, Sox-35th, and 69th. LDOC is also distributed by volunteers at the downtown Red Line Lake stops every first and third Monday evening of the month.