ARTIST REFLECTION
Reprinted with permission from: Blacklock C, Blacklock N. Border country: photographs from the Quetico-Superior wilderness. Moose Lake, MN: Blacklock Nature Photography; 1999.
As with nearly all of my early-morning images, my location, lens, and composition were selected the evening before. I awoke to a cold morning, which meant fog would be rising from the waterfalls. I was lucky to have a few clouds catch the first light, lending everything a peach hue.
A GAME OF CARDS
Your sloping cursive letter pinned above my desk
Greets me daily
Memories of a day when you had more energy
Enthusiastically exclaiming
How you had felt like a child
And cleaned your entire garage
Hospice tells me that you spent your last days playing cards
With your friends
On the beach
The beach in Southie—I can picture it perfectly
The broken shores where I spent any unspoken-for moment of residency
Trying to clear my mind, reclaim my space
And there you were—reclaiming your life in its last moments
Your arms and legs withered and covered with sores
The hole in your neck—though healed—belying your recent battle
Your body riddled with cancer
But your spirit—magnetic, enthusiastic, passionate, mischievous
Glimpsed through
When the pain was at bay
Our years together narrowed with a final hug
Tears in both of our eyes
Knowing with certainty that the dignity of hospice was next
Your tired face cracked with a smile
As I shared, in those final moments
Your kindness with your worried sisters
Drawing them
In From Their Distance
Stories of the giant box of chocolates and the jar of pickles
You brought wrapped to the clinic
When you heard I was pregnant
The newspaper articles you circled for me
The bouquet of pens you brought to every visit
Knowing that, in the chaos
Mine was always gone
The pictures of your grandchildren, weathered in your wallet
You saved for the end of our visit
Though I was your doctor
Through all of your illnesses
We carried each other
A game of cards
Where nobody wins
And you are not lost
Biographies
Craig Blacklock has gained an international reputation for his inspiring landscapes. His original prints are in museums, private collections, and healthcare facilities throughout the United States. In addition to his prints, Craig has created exquisite videos for healthcare facilities that incorporate music, nature sounds, and guided imagery. For more information, visit: http://blacklockgallery.com. You can view one of Mr Blacklock's videos at www.gahmj.com.
Katherine Gergen Barnett, MD, is the director of the Integrative Medicine Clinical Services and also serves as a primary care clinician in Boston Medical Center's Department of Family Medicine, Massachusetts. Her primary interests are preventive medicine, nutrition, mindfulness-based stress reduction, women's health, and group care. In her free time, Katherine enjoys running, reading, writing, cooking, spending time with friends, and being with her husband and 3 young children.