Joanne Mason Photography

“Reading the Landscape”
by Julia Swarstad Johnson

Don’t lose it—the ink line
of Tussey Mountain’s height

unspools above this valley,
a loose wave of attention

pooling from a pen. It flows out
above corn tassels, branching maples,

edges closer to the road you drive
with every quarter mile. Like

a script style whose spindled lines
and whorls the world left behind,

the mountain holds meaning
at bay, keeps you tracing its outline

flickering behind tulip trees, lost
to the curve of the road

across the valley floor. This country
baffles you. The maze of ridges

drinks attention, masks distance,
hems you in and eludes you. But the road

calls you forward. The ridgeline rises
up to meet you just when you thought it gone.

This is the Abiqui River in New Mexico. This is Georgia O’Keeffe country.

This more New Mexico countryside.

This is a view above Oak Creek Canyon, in Arizona. Oak Creek Canyon runs between Flagstaff to Sedona.

Finally, a view of the San Gabriel Mountains in southern California. In the distance,
with a bit of snow, you can make out Mount Baldy, the highest peak in the San Gabriels.

Many thanks to Egidio for this week’s theme. Next week, it’s John’s turn to give us a new challenge. It will go live at noon EST in the USA. Tune in to find out more about the challenge then. Please see this page to learn more about the Lens-Artists Challenge and its history.