i am excited to announce the creation of my first photo book, with words and photography on the subject of lebanon. here’s a preview.
lebanon will be a mixture of color and black and white photographs, paired with selected journal entries, stories, and poetry.
i hope this small taste will whet your appetite for the book. i expect to have it finished before the fall of ’09… reserve your copy now for a discounted rate!
all images © andrew r. slaton | photographer 2009
a mermaid saw a swimming lad,
and picked him up for her own.
pressed her body to his body,
laughing, and plunging down,
forgot in cruel happiness…
that even lovers drown.
this bittersweet prose lines the table that i’ve sat at for three days now.
i always enjoy my time in austin, but this time especially, i have had a truly memorable experience. lounging lazily at barton springs… swimming in her cool, natural waters. spending time with my brother, his wife, and their three little ones. enjoying time with my friends, whose lives have hurdled in different directions than my own. and i feel in love.
austin has pressed her body to mine, and laughingly pulled me under. i gladly kissed her lips and descended to the depths.
how long must i pretend that i don’t need austin? how long must i pretend that austin doesn’t need me?
well, it would seem a little while longer. but i have already drowned…
as i sit silent, i reflect on my recent experiences in lebanon. and though my thoughts remain dimmed and disoriented, in some sort of schizophrenic fervor, my senses heighten and align when yann tiersen’s la rade floats to my ears.
a rough translation of the french lyrics reveals what i already felt through the universal language of music. it’s not far off from what i felt, walking the streets of beirut, saida, sour, trablous.
la rade (listen)
the bay
by yann tiersen
i see us all sitting in front
but the shoulders fell within
with all eyes in tears before
and it cracks and it crève boredom
i see us all in limbo
and escaping the cold , we feel
as immobile in bed, sleeping
and life slowly ebbs away
i dream we all stand before
descending into the city, walking
you take, you see inside
in the heart, the anger of the people
there standing in front of the bay
once before, the wind coming from the west
you take, you see it now
in the heart, the anger of the people
standing there, and the sea front
in front and the waves coming
you’ll take it, inside you cry
in the body, the revolt of the people
standing there, and the sea front
in front and the waves coming
you’ll take it, inside you cry
in the body, the revolt of the people
i was lucky enough to have a 9 hour layover in prague on my way home from lebanon.
andrew slaton | blog 
