Steps to another world

Tread carefully
London, ON
April 2022
This photo originally shared on Instagram

This staircase is both special and not.

It’s one of many in the area, and it connects the suburban streets above with the valley below, an easy way to escape the thrum of the city in a few easy steps.

Okay, maybe more than a few. It’s a steep valley, and there are lots of stairs.

The dog and I are here all the time, as it’s a regular part of our wanders through the neighborhood. Yet I’m usually so focused on not tripping on the crumbling concrete that I miss out on how it looks and feels.

So I decide to take a rare solo walk, one without a bouncy dog pulling the other end of the leash and ruining the shot. I even bring the camera-camera this time.

The well-worn steps haven’t only been badly maintained: they haven’t been maintained at all, the concrete slowly deteriorating in the deep shadows that settle over this quiet place.

Which I’m guessing is an accident waiting to happen. So I walk slowly, deliberately. All the better to notice the little things I’d otherwise miss, the textures, the soft, gloomy light, the sound of the whispering trees overhead.

While these steps may not be special enough to merit proper attention from the folks who run this town, they’re special enough to me for the quiet way they underpin the simple rituals of day-to-day life in an otherwise forgettable corner of the city.

As I tuck the camera away and begin the long climb to the house, I quietly resolve to shoot more scenes like this. They may be invisible to most, forgotten even. But they still deserve to have their stories told.

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