crumbling dog at the entrance of Jerry's Deli, Marina Del Rey, California
What is it about this statue that elicits my empathy? The exposed, rusting skeleton? Snapped paws, still intact? (And those paws - not at all as if they were once attached, but rather, something left, little offerings to missing legs.)
It almost feels wrong to submit this image for Photo Friday, when the theme for the week is junk. If the dog's body were still intact, surely this statue would be junk - a tacky lawn ornament, nothing more. But there is beauty in decay - a sense of loss and recognition, time and history, that transcends form. I wonder if the dog still exists, whether his back and hind legs have finally crumbled. And if anyone else is wondering the same thing.
Comments (4)
Funny, how the mind works. The moment I saw this picture, my mind began preparation to hear another one of those "miraculous pet survival" stories. You know the ones. The dog with no back legs who rides around on a cart, or the dog with no front legs who has learned to adapt by hopping around like a kangaroo. But I didn't even realize my mind was preparing itself until after the realization hit that it was a crumbling statue rather then flesh and blood.
So the mind, quick to jump to assumptions, also seems equally quick to reverse itself - back pedaling, so to speak, to balance out our perceptions. This in itself struck me as curious. I suddenly had the image of the mind as some sort of grief counselor, doing its best to prepare us for whatever comes next, saying whatever is necessary to ease us through the next step.
But more to the point - I like your story of the crumbling concrete dog. I like the idea that junk can, with its own decay, somehow become something more meaningful.
Posted by Keith | April 25, 2004 4:47 PM
Posted on April 25, 2004 16:47
Well, *I'm* wondering now, too :-)
A wonderful photograph, and a wonderful reflection on it. Thank you.
Posted by dale | April 26, 2004 10:31 AM
Posted on April 26, 2004 10:31
I am glad someone else is wondering ... :)
Posted by karrie | April 27, 2004 6:37 PM
Posted on April 27, 2004 18:37
Thanks. I'm crying now :-(
Posted by JDM | April 30, 2004 6:14 AM
Posted on April 30, 2004 06:14