You hold the leather case cracked dry
Quercus alba rings in grain nearby
Thirty-six exposures wait asleep
Dormant as seeds in permafrost deep
ISO four hundred frozen slow
Windshield wipers swipe the sodium glow
Expired frame at crossroads station
Silver halide dreams in fermentation
Developer dry in plastic jug
You press the shutter, give it a hug
Pump three sighs diesel scented air
Artemisia tridentata grows through concrete there
Viewfinder shows the world gone grainy green
Latent image waits unseen unclean
ISO four hundred frozen slow
Windshield wipers swipe the sodium glow
Expired frame at crossroads station
Silver halide dreams in fermentation
Developer dry in plastic jug
You press the shutter, give it a hug
Attendant wipes grease from calloused thumb
Helianthus annuus turns from slanting sun
He asks if film still captures souls
You laugh and say it captures holes
Roots drink darkness shoots seek light
Photosynthesis through the night
Chemicals bloom in trays of red
Fix the moment kill the dread
Expired frame at crossroads station
Silver halide dreams in fermentation
Developer dry in plastic jug
You press the shutter, give it a hug
Dawn breaks cold on asphalt scar
Pinus ponderosa shadows stretch far
Rewind knob clicks the canister sings
Life develops in the darkest things
Expired frame at crossroads station
Silver halide dreams in fermentation
Developer dry in plastic jug
You press the shutter, give it a hug
Gang vocals rise like morning fog
Every exposure a dialogue
Wind the lever let it breathe
Root and shoot you both believe
