The Protectors of Magical Seeds

The Protectors of Magical Seeds “It always amazes me to look at the little, wrinkled brown seeds and think of the rainbows in ’em,” said Captain Jim. “When I ponder on them seeds I don’t find it nowise hard to believe that we’ve got souls that’ll live in other worlds. You couldn’t hardly believe there was life in them tiny things, some no bigger than grains of dust, let alone colour and scent, if you hadn’t seen the miracle, could you?” ― L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables series The pods are the great protectors of the magic they possess inside ... the seed. Seeds that hold the DNA blueprint for the entire life of the plant. Its whole life! That is magical. Before the seeds release from the withered shell, the pod holds them tight, protecting them from the elements while they develop. Then, when all the precise conditions come together, the ideal amount of warmth, water, light, and nutrient-rich soil, the tiny seeds will release, germinate, and grow. The pod decomposes, feeding the seed, and the circle of life continues. Using Stephen Shore’s concept of still time where “the content is at rest and time is still,” I am preserving that particular moment of the decay process, where the pods have just released these magic seeds. This is when the pods reveal their true strength, hardness and valor. Sometimes they are sinister shapes akin to medieval torture devices. In front of my lens, they become whimsical guardians, the protectors of magical seeds.