Where these tracks may lead
is more than some random place
fear is faced today.
On one of my most recent visits back home to South Carolina I had the chance to capture a few shots of the ‘country ‘ life with my Nikon. Of those I snapped, I wanted to share a few that really stood out of this old Ford Mustang which I believe is a 1965 or 1966. The car belonged to a distant relative that refused to sell it…for unknown reasons and to this day, no one knows why. It now sits alone after numerous people have made offers to purchase or junk it only to be turned away as down and bereaved as the old thoroughbred looks himself. I’ve seen this car sit in this same spot and literally fade away as far back as I can remember…I’m 31. As usual, being a sucker for the natural and raw side of nature and material it spoke to me. Instantly the song “Mustang Sally” came to mind by Wilson Pickett. (Youtube it here)
And then I wondered…what if this old pile of junk still had Sally? What secrets would it share from the soapbox? That’s when I thought…Hmmm…maybe this:
You remember when Sally would give you a kiss
Saddle me up and throw me in 1st
Those were the good old days I miss
And if she wasn’t arguing with her old man we’d stop by and get Suzie Q.
That’s when I knew…we were in for a road trip
Two bad girls FREE under the sun… that Thelma & Louise type of sh*t.
Smiles on the run in those bright cat eyes
From the morning dew to the evening stars
Sally’s long gone now… buried not too far.
Backroads we left to the highways we ‘d come… from I-95 to 261
We traveled long ways…gassed up and ready.
‘Long as she didn’t drink too much
We’d pretty much hold it steady.
I thought we’d never slow down,
In ’65 we lived all over the towns
Weeping in tears…Sally tamed me then left
No regrets in my stable this little light of mine still shines
No matter how incorrigible,
Time reaches us all
In due time.
In Its own stubborn way
Nowadays that sleek Dynasty Green has turned gray.
In those days gas was $0.31 cents per gallon
You wanna tell me what it is today?
At the wash they groomed me, brush my mane, and wiped me down
those were happy endings now the only thing that soothes me is these thorns
you mean to tell me they’re calling that acupuncture now?
Ashes to ashes… rust to dust
Wipe weeping eyes staying here isn’t a must
Look right there, it says “original muscle American made 289 with a smile”
Life has long gone cause that synthetic stuff would have killed me anyhow
Ask anyone… they would have told you about Sally & that ‘Stang.
We’d return under the moon and I promised old Sally I wouldn’t tell you a ‘thang’.

“You mean I can’t stay here forever?”
This seems to be the question many find themselves asking as death creeps onto the doorsteps of life. The bad news is…at some point you’re going to die. The good news is….well, you’re going to die. The fear of death is one I overcame at a very young age that I attest mainly to my fascination for the spiritual & unknown. As far back as I can remember the fascination of life and death only grew after a near death experience(drowning). From that point on, the mystery that so many fear became a tool for truly LIVING. After the death of my dear godmother, grandmother, other relatives, and friends the thought of no longer being in the physical seemed to be more intriguing than frightening.
If we place those fears and distractions aside for a moment there is so much more to life that we fail to see. Live everyday like it’s your last and the worry of death tends to fade. Exercise your right in servitude and the solemnness will slowly die. That’s my mantra. I find it disturbing that we still fear one another simply because of the color of ones skin, or the god they may worship. Why can’t we all just be?
I recently had a conversation with my mother who I believe is beginning to go through a denial of death. To deny death is to shun life, for it is another chapter in this journey. Besides, you can deny it as much as you want…it’s still going to happen. In the book,” The Many Faces of Death” by Jacqui James she states,”
One of the faces of death, a very common one, is the
terrified face. It is the face seen by those who have ignored
death throughout their lives and who have
refused point blank either to talk or to think about death,
regarding the subject as morbid and one which, if
indulged in, would hasten their own deaths.
This superstitious attitude is a common human failing:
‘ignorance’ of anything found unpleasant or threatening.
This is so true and the face that I firmly believe mother is dealing with. I’ve tried comfort but that doesn’t fly over too well. I’m at peace simply knowing that I have attempted. With the recent loss of her brother and close friend in her religious sect, time is slowly withering away and she is now realizing this. The relationship I have with her is one that has been off and on, for years for a number of reasons. One of those reasons has been my determination to follow a path of my own; straying away from the limitations and struggles of so many “religions” these days. Following a path of my own I was able to awaken the Giant within & overcome those difficulties that many face when it comes to creation, life and death. Once embarking on this voyage of self and harmonizing the world within, the hereafter is no more of a threat to me than say, a morning jog, or going to the grocery store. I find it saddening when I look in her eyes and others who’ve followed the tutelage of so-called “leaders” or sects whose only true motive is profit- only to find them suffering and fearful in the end? To be misled and not ask why is asking for your own demise in any case. I pray that some sort of solace does rise in their hearts and minds. Death is something that is within each and every one of us when we are born. Death is the quiet passenger tagging along on this highway of experiences. Along the way, it simply became another one of the fears we conjured up to this point in life. We have yet to scratch the surface of the “tomb” that we currently embody as life. From the most logically perspective, how can you be afraid of something you know nothing about?
At some point, we must all fly away … Maybe we’ll meet again next lifetime…
Sometimes the sentiments of life tend to shatter random moments of the past,
And glancing into the dimensions within a soul that knows forever will last.
I don’t know what matters as what seems to matter to me always seems to let the ignorance surpass destiny & the very factions many fail to see.
Sometimes the reunion of minds seems to redo what we have rendered and rewound through time
And souls refusing to include the presence of reality just misuse these flaws to every degree
Lost priorities focused away from mankind’s need to decipher a misguided seed
We need better conditioning…so on the sidelines of this corners being…I wait.
Enjoying the wondrous attributes created through nature’s very symphonic scheme
Knowing these thoughts painted across the canvas of life weren’t just some silly dream.
photo taken near Lucea, Jamaica with my Nikon D3000 w/Nikon 55-200mm f/4-5.6G. Lucea is the little coastal capital in the Hanover parish. Lots of boating and attractions between Monteco Bay and Negril. Beautiful people, great good, good times…enjoy!