Theatre in concrete and grass

Low-angled, edge-on
London, ON
May 2023
This photo originally shared on Instagram

The scene: It’s 9:21 at night, and I’m following Calli the Wonderschnauzer around the neighborhood. As often happens, she’s taking her sweet time because her snack time is still 39 minutes away and there’s probably still a bunny or two to bark at.

We come across an interesting scene on a sidewalk not far from home, where a Jeep with no one inside is idling in a driveway across the road.

[tangent] London has had a no-idling bylaw for years that’s supposed to prevent this kind of planet-unfriendly stupidity. Alas, no one has ever received a ticket for violating the bylaw, and Londoners will often sit for hours in their still-running cars. Silly, selfish Londoners. [/tangent]

The truck is casting brilliant while light clear across the street. The overgrown grass in the boulevard catches some of it and throws wonderful shadows across the pockmarked concrete.

I may be saddened by the needless addition of carbon emissions into our atmosphere, but I’m not too annoyed to ignore the photo opp playing out at my feet. So while the dog grazes nearby, I compose and shoot the surreal scene just before the owner returns and kills the lights.

As the dog and I make our way back home, I have some quiet time to ponder the meaning of this moment.

I conclude that despite the fact that we live in a highly imperfect world, filled with highly imperfect people, all that imperfection can still have its own surreal beauty.

We just have to be willing to root around in the overgrown grass and crumbling concrete to find it.

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