Monday, May 16, 2016Issue 08.02LDOC free art

Meditations on TimePhotographs by Philip Dembinski

ChildhoodPoetry by Natalie Unger

Best Friends

As you toss your leatherto the floor beneath you andcollapse your worn out spine intothis seat we share,

I look beyond your hardened eyes andthose punctures in your expectationsand see –

two frames split the water into three;sturdy backs fall in love with stone asbeaming faces make love to the NorthStar; balmy palms brave the first hints ofheartbreak together; permission to cry,“you can cry”; tasting together for the firsttime that fizzy fermented yeast; you, thedoctor when the street took my skinaway; saying goodbye hours (and years)too soon –

my friend.

Blackout

On frigid days like these I considerwhat it meant to be coddled by the softMidwestern moonlight.

I take the steps of a child as I movethrough the icy terrain of this particular plane I’ve landed on,

and trace –with numb fingers – eachcranny in my chestto that night a sleepy sky rested thewhites of its beaming eye on our tinybodies as they yearnedupward.

As if the stars in those vacant heavenswere our first lovers,we sprawled outlike two starfish washed ashore.

Hand-to-hand,foot-to-foot,we offered our innocent frames toa sky deprived (or freed) of light.

And a crowd of chanting elmsmoved their boney fists,dancing in the wind as we gave our bodies away to a galaxy beyond our years.

We savored our elixir.That moment was beyond remembering.

Blackout

On frigid days like these I considerwhat it meant to be coddled by the softMidwestern moonlight.

I take the steps of a child as I movethrough the icy terrain of this particular plane I’ve landed on,

and trace –with numb fingers – eachcranny in my chestto that night a sleepy sky rested thewhites of its beaming eye on our tinybodies as they yearnedupward.

As if the stars in those vacant heavenswere our first lovers,we sprawled outlike two starfish washed ashore.

Hand-to-hand,foot-to-foot,we offered our innocent frames toa sky deprived (or freed) of light.

And a crowd of chanting elmsmoved their boney fists,dancing in the wind as we gave our bodies away to a galaxy beyond our years.

We savored our elixir.That moment was beyond remembering.

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Philip Dembinski is a portrait and documentary photographer based out of the Humboldt Park neighborhood in Chicago, IL. He received his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 2008 from Columbia College Chicago. He has shown work internationally, including Flak Photo’s 100 Portraits, 100 Photographers traveling exhibit, and is part of Catherine Edelman Gallery’s Chicago Project. His inspiration comes from chance encounters, disquieting landscapes, and subtle expressions. Additionally, Philip is a teaching artist at the Marwen Foundation where he leads both digital and analogue photography classes for Chicago’s youth. http://www.philipdembinski.com Natalie Unger is a writer residing in Chicago. She first began writing poetry when she was 13. Natalie has read her poetry at various events throughout Chicago, including Salonathon and the Moonlight Owl Collective. Most recently, she wrote on-the-spot, improvised poems for the Chicago Art Department’s annual fundraiser. For Natalie, poetry is a tool of empathy and a pathway toward deep introspection for all people. She hopes to go back to school for her MFA and one day work with women to empower them to tell their stories through writing. Natalie regularly writes customized “Five Minute Poems” on her typewriter for anyone who submits a theme to her blog. www.five-minute-poems.tumblr.com

LDOC is a free photography and creative writing publication featuring a new local artist and writer each month, creating an installment-based experience for the Chicago commuter. Find LDOC in red newspaper boxes at the following Red Line stops: Howard St., Belmont, Sox-35th, and 69th. LDOC is also distributed by volunteers at the downtown Red Line Lake stops every first and third Monday evening of the month.