I’d like today to introduce you to an amazing photographer Mark Darlington. Mark’s work has inspired my writing for a few weeks now, and I’m delighted to work alongside him here in a collaboration of words and photography. I’m humbled to him for allowing me to use such stunning visual photography and for giving the time to overlay my words onto them.
Mark and I were originally introduced through One Stop Poetry and twitter, and I was drawn to his wonderful artwork. More of his work can be found here
Welcome to the world of twisted images and repressed words 😉
And since we started on One Stop, here is our collaboration for today’s One Stop Wednesday.
Strange Fruit
you placed a crimson sin upon my breast
and pinned your mark so neatly on this bud
a sign of womanhood that I detest
I hear the racing pulse within your chest
emotions ripening just like a flood
you placed a crimson sin upon my breast
your darkest fantasies are here confessed
then hitting scarlet nectar with a thud
a sign of womanhood that I detest
an actress, right on cue I’m at my best
your body stiffens for my acted dud
You placed a crimson sin upon my chest
adorn my body, put my fears to rest
I’m not relaxing as you said I would
a sign of womanhood that I detest
and watching as your fingers come to rest
the juices flow in rivulets of blood
you placed the crimson sin upon my breast
a sign of womanhood that I detest
Marks work could keep me busy for the next few years at least!
Musings and Smatterings 
Strange Fruit’s dark & very sensual. Thanks 🙂
You’re welcome hun, I’m digging out musing on this fabulous photography!
Beautiful and evocative. Brooding, powerful and delicious.
Thanks sweetie…a little morsel of sweetness for the Tuesday morning doldrums
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ummm….dark and tasty….me likes it….i’m not relaxing as you said i would sticks out to me…not in a bad way just in honesty…
oh wow shan – this works all perfectly smooth together – the villanelle form, the words, the photo – amazingly done!
Magnificent work, Shan. The photos and your words are evocative, sensual, and compliment one another perfectly. You two have a good match here…can’t wait to see more 🙂
As you can tell we get on 😉 I love the images, sort of fresh from the soul feel…Thanks Sheila
I LOVE “Strange Fruit” and Mark’s photography lives up to your words. I understand your collaboration. Though not truly collaborating with them, I do find poetic inspirations in the photographs of Ainsley Allmark @DolphinDancer and Simon K. Lloyd @simonscotland, both of whom are kind enough to allow me to use their photographs in my posts. Your words, as always, are brilliant ~ dark, evocative, sensual ~ and your use of the villanelle form is perfection. Love you! ♥
I decided I love them…after blood sweat and tears…love Marky his photos are AMAZING!
Oh, hope you don’t mind ~ I’m reposting this at my blog. {smile}
Amazing…and a bit scary because…well…lets just say this resonates with a dark current winding it’s way round my life at the moment. No, can’t explain that one…but also couln’t resist noting the eirie coincidence.
The photography is absolutely phenominal as are the words.
I think we’ve all been there once upon a time…I know I have hun xx
beautiful integration of image and words… your work together is seamless.
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Beautifully stunning, Shan…and you mark young motherhood so well in this wonderful piece…there is no relaxing in motherhood….blessings…bkm
I like that little dark edge to your writing and the photography here is stunning. Thanks for sharing 🙂
Love the rewrite of the fourth stanza Shân! Great refrain lines – particularly ‘crimson sin’ such ‘bite’ to that phrase.
Echoes ring true today. I like it!
WOW this is really SWEET!
Totally beautiful post, thoroughly enjoyed your poetry and the photography is indeed stunning.
CJ
Well-woven lines. Nice photos as well. A dandy One Shot!
What a fantastic collaboration!
By George I think she did it…said Henry Higgins and I believe you have and quite successfully. The form is yours and the poem rocks. Beautiful photography and your words invest it with evocative and literary alllusions as well as a sense of personal reference. Excellent write. Gay
Beautiful photography and beautiful words!
Soft, yet raw…this was deliciously sensuous and lovely!
The amazing words seem to complement the stunning picture perfectly indeed!
Cheers to many more such wonderful collaborations and One Shots!!
Love that you pulled this off with a villanelle…sensual, excellent job!
Vivid, romantic (in a dark, not quite twisty way), exemplary.
What a beautiful partnership. I also have a few photographers whose photographs inspire me deeply. =) Kiss you girl. =*
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I like your transitions and clarity. I have been writing for Ghost Writers for a while now, and they pay me good to write blog posts like this, or content articles. I clear $100-$200 on a awful evening.
Judging by your love for the english language, you may enjoy doing the same.
It wouldnt hurt to check them out.Here are the details
great post! keep it on!
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