Poetry and Pictures

I've decided to take the time to share with you all one of my favorite blogs I've stumbled across. I Wrote This For You is far from a traditional blog. Rather than featuring entries with a few paragraphs each, most individual posts are nothing more than a photograph and a few short, poetic lines. But something about the pairing of poetry and pictures is so incredibly powerful, so astonishingly poignant, that I'm often left more affected after having visited this blog than after reading a 500-word post jammed with links and impressive vocabulary.

The thing about I Wrote This For You is that the words are raw and relatable. Nothing seems edited; it's as if you're given a glimpse into an exceptionally inquisitive mind, and yet, a mind that could belong to almost anyone. Despite the organic style and delightful simplicity that the blogger employs, every post is sufficiently polished. It's a fine line that the blogger walks, but he succeeds.

The best example I found is an entry entitled "The Next Stop". I'd recommend clicking that link so that you can see the photograph that corresponds with the words, but the writing is the following:

Only because it's still so raw and real. Soon I'll just be a series of images that sometimes flash through your mind, when you least expect it. And after that, only a few will stay. Then, one. A memory of a memory.

Reading those lines gives me chills every time. I'm forever in awe of the writer's ability to capture such abstract concepts as time, memory, and loss, and in just a few sentences, at that. The final line, "A memory of a memory" resonated with me most. Can we remember the memory of something, even if we've forgotten the memory itself? The words were thought-provoking, to say the least.

And it isn't just the language that speaks to the audience. The black and white photograph of a train speeding by adds so much to the words. For me, the image conjures that "here for a moment, then gone" feeling that I think all humans encounter on a daily basis. The train is blurred, representing constant motion, how powerless we are to the incessantness of time. How we can't count on keeping anything.

I could go on and on about the brilliance of the blog, but that doesn't seem fitting, as the whole essence of the blog is its beautiful brevity. Please check it out. No matter what you're feeling at the moment, I Wrote This For You will make you feel more connected, more human. I promise.