Contemplative Photographer
@dwalkerarts.bsky.social
Contemplative artist, poet, photographer, playwright, news announcer… happy to be here.
Why would I show a photo
Of just rocks?
Something about
The way two small rocks
Shelter in the cleft,
While also being lifted up
as offerings;
The way the others shelter
In the shadow…
Isn’t this what size and power
Were meant to do:
To support and protect
The small and weak;
Not to overcome?
Of just rocks?
Something about
The way two small rocks
Shelter in the cleft,
While also being lifted up
as offerings;
The way the others shelter
In the shadow…
Isn’t this what size and power
Were meant to do:
To support and protect
The small and weak;
Not to overcome?
February 12, 2026 at 2:29 PM
Why would I show a photo
Of just rocks?
Something about
The way two small rocks
Shelter in the cleft,
While also being lifted up
as offerings;
The way the others shelter
In the shadow…
Isn’t this what size and power
Were meant to do:
To support and protect
The small and weak;
Not to overcome?
Of just rocks?
Something about
The way two small rocks
Shelter in the cleft,
While also being lifted up
as offerings;
The way the others shelter
In the shadow…
Isn’t this what size and power
Were meant to do:
To support and protect
The small and weak;
Not to overcome?
I imagine them gathering,
In the late afternoons,
For a bit of tea and gossip
About things they have observed,
Studiously ignoring
The human who stands nearby
While at the same time hoping
She might feed them…
In the late afternoons,
For a bit of tea and gossip
About things they have observed,
Studiously ignoring
The human who stands nearby
While at the same time hoping
She might feed them…
February 11, 2026 at 1:19 PM
I imagine them gathering,
In the late afternoons,
For a bit of tea and gossip
About things they have observed,
Studiously ignoring
The human who stands nearby
While at the same time hoping
She might feed them…
In the late afternoons,
For a bit of tea and gossip
About things they have observed,
Studiously ignoring
The human who stands nearby
While at the same time hoping
She might feed them…
The madrona stands out
Among the evergreens
As a naked woman would
In a ballroom:
All the ruffles and lace
fade into one
Against the bare vulnerability
Of skin — awakening, unbidden,
The urge to protect,
As would a child, under threat
From bullies.
May that urge always overwhelm the need for power.
Among the evergreens
As a naked woman would
In a ballroom:
All the ruffles and lace
fade into one
Against the bare vulnerability
Of skin — awakening, unbidden,
The urge to protect,
As would a child, under threat
From bullies.
May that urge always overwhelm the need for power.
February 10, 2026 at 3:24 PM
The madrona stands out
Among the evergreens
As a naked woman would
In a ballroom:
All the ruffles and lace
fade into one
Against the bare vulnerability
Of skin — awakening, unbidden,
The urge to protect,
As would a child, under threat
From bullies.
May that urge always overwhelm the need for power.
Among the evergreens
As a naked woman would
In a ballroom:
All the ruffles and lace
fade into one
Against the bare vulnerability
Of skin — awakening, unbidden,
The urge to protect,
As would a child, under threat
From bullies.
May that urge always overwhelm the need for power.
Though the sun rose,
as always, in the east,
The east was overtaken
By a vast, thick bank of clouds,
And so the west offered to serve
As a canvas for the colors
Which had nowhere else to go,
And together they brought beauty, spice, and vitality to the sky
and all it touched.
as always, in the east,
The east was overtaken
By a vast, thick bank of clouds,
And so the west offered to serve
As a canvas for the colors
Which had nowhere else to go,
And together they brought beauty, spice, and vitality to the sky
and all it touched.
February 9, 2026 at 4:00 PM
Though the sun rose,
as always, in the east,
The east was overtaken
By a vast, thick bank of clouds,
And so the west offered to serve
As a canvas for the colors
Which had nowhere else to go,
And together they brought beauty, spice, and vitality to the sky
and all it touched.
as always, in the east,
The east was overtaken
By a vast, thick bank of clouds,
And so the west offered to serve
As a canvas for the colors
Which had nowhere else to go,
And together they brought beauty, spice, and vitality to the sky
and all it touched.
The miracle of iridescence
Feels like spirit, or love,
Or creativity: so vibrant and alive;
So unpredictable, yet possible
If only we are patient
and can watch and wait
Til what looks green in one moment
Turns in another
To purple, blue, or teal
While the yellow,
brown, and orange
Remain unchanged.
Feels like spirit, or love,
Or creativity: so vibrant and alive;
So unpredictable, yet possible
If only we are patient
and can watch and wait
Til what looks green in one moment
Turns in another
To purple, blue, or teal
While the yellow,
brown, and orange
Remain unchanged.
February 8, 2026 at 4:25 PM
The miracle of iridescence
Feels like spirit, or love,
Or creativity: so vibrant and alive;
So unpredictable, yet possible
If only we are patient
and can watch and wait
Til what looks green in one moment
Turns in another
To purple, blue, or teal
While the yellow,
brown, and orange
Remain unchanged.
Feels like spirit, or love,
Or creativity: so vibrant and alive;
So unpredictable, yet possible
If only we are patient
and can watch and wait
Til what looks green in one moment
Turns in another
To purple, blue, or teal
While the yellow,
brown, and orange
Remain unchanged.
It’s just a simple potting shed,
But mother Nature’s
special effects —
The fog, and glorious sunsets —
Infuse it with mystery and beauty.
It’s love, I believe,
That has that same effect
On us humans…
But mother Nature’s
special effects —
The fog, and glorious sunsets —
Infuse it with mystery and beauty.
It’s love, I believe,
That has that same effect
On us humans…
February 7, 2026 at 2:09 PM
It’s just a simple potting shed,
But mother Nature’s
special effects —
The fog, and glorious sunsets —
Infuse it with mystery and beauty.
It’s love, I believe,
That has that same effect
On us humans…
But mother Nature’s
special effects —
The fog, and glorious sunsets —
Infuse it with mystery and beauty.
It’s love, I believe,
That has that same effect
On us humans…
It feels like the guides we built
To keep us on
the straight and narrow
And out of the weeds
Have grown fuzzier
and slipperier with time
And may eventually disappear
For lack of maintenance
Or lack of use —
And does it even matter which?
How can we find our way back
To the spirit, and to truth?
To keep us on
the straight and narrow
And out of the weeds
Have grown fuzzier
and slipperier with time
And may eventually disappear
For lack of maintenance
Or lack of use —
And does it even matter which?
How can we find our way back
To the spirit, and to truth?
February 6, 2026 at 3:01 PM
It feels like the guides we built
To keep us on
the straight and narrow
And out of the weeds
Have grown fuzzier
and slipperier with time
And may eventually disappear
For lack of maintenance
Or lack of use —
And does it even matter which?
How can we find our way back
To the spirit, and to truth?
To keep us on
the straight and narrow
And out of the weeds
Have grown fuzzier
and slipperier with time
And may eventually disappear
For lack of maintenance
Or lack of use —
And does it even matter which?
How can we find our way back
To the spirit, and to truth?
Different things take courage
For different people.
For me —having been told
I cannot draw —
to scribble these fine lines
Was terrifying.
Whenever it is we face
those voices that challenge us
We need to be willing
to ask for support;
To find courage together to resist
The things that scare us most.
For different people.
For me —having been told
I cannot draw —
to scribble these fine lines
Was terrifying.
Whenever it is we face
those voices that challenge us
We need to be willing
to ask for support;
To find courage together to resist
The things that scare us most.
February 5, 2026 at 4:06 PM
Different things take courage
For different people.
For me —having been told
I cannot draw —
to scribble these fine lines
Was terrifying.
Whenever it is we face
those voices that challenge us
We need to be willing
to ask for support;
To find courage together to resist
The things that scare us most.
For different people.
For me —having been told
I cannot draw —
to scribble these fine lines
Was terrifying.
Whenever it is we face
those voices that challenge us
We need to be willing
to ask for support;
To find courage together to resist
The things that scare us most.
I stand in my kitchen,
Watching the mama doe
and her yearling
Gently loving on one another,
And I think:
this is what the world needs —
More tenderness;
More tenderness.
Watching the mama doe
and her yearling
Gently loving on one another,
And I think:
this is what the world needs —
More tenderness;
More tenderness.
February 4, 2026 at 1:32 PM
I stand in my kitchen,
Watching the mama doe
and her yearling
Gently loving on one another,
And I think:
this is what the world needs —
More tenderness;
More tenderness.
Watching the mama doe
and her yearling
Gently loving on one another,
And I think:
this is what the world needs —
More tenderness;
More tenderness.
So often we erect barriers
To keep us from dealing with
The troubles of the world.
But over time, nature encroaches,
And though those encroachments
May seem lovely and fresh,
Over time they’re more likely
To pull those barriers down
And we’ll be forced to face
What we’d prefer to avoid…
To keep us from dealing with
The troubles of the world.
But over time, nature encroaches,
And though those encroachments
May seem lovely and fresh,
Over time they’re more likely
To pull those barriers down
And we’ll be forced to face
What we’d prefer to avoid…
February 3, 2026 at 3:41 PM
So often we erect barriers
To keep us from dealing with
The troubles of the world.
But over time, nature encroaches,
And though those encroachments
May seem lovely and fresh,
Over time they’re more likely
To pull those barriers down
And we’ll be forced to face
What we’d prefer to avoid…
To keep us from dealing with
The troubles of the world.
But over time, nature encroaches,
And though those encroachments
May seem lovely and fresh,
Over time they’re more likely
To pull those barriers down
And we’ll be forced to face
What we’d prefer to avoid…
Even on the gray days,
People are still working,
And I am working, too,
Trying to find light
between the grays
Trying to welcome the contrast
The dark provides;
Greeting it with love, not hate,
To soften its hard edges.
People are still working,
And I am working, too,
Trying to find light
between the grays
Trying to welcome the contrast
The dark provides;
Greeting it with love, not hate,
To soften its hard edges.
February 2, 2026 at 4:22 PM
Even on the gray days,
People are still working,
And I am working, too,
Trying to find light
between the grays
Trying to welcome the contrast
The dark provides;
Greeting it with love, not hate,
To soften its hard edges.
People are still working,
And I am working, too,
Trying to find light
between the grays
Trying to welcome the contrast
The dark provides;
Greeting it with love, not hate,
To soften its hard edges.
I watch my cat stare fixedly
At a painting
I’d stacked on the floor,
And wonder: what are his thoughts
As he stares, and what is it
That engages him —
Or did he just happen to fall asleep
In that spot on the rug
Instead of my lap?
I know he loves music;
What if he also loves art?
At a painting
I’d stacked on the floor,
And wonder: what are his thoughts
As he stares, and what is it
That engages him —
Or did he just happen to fall asleep
In that spot on the rug
Instead of my lap?
I know he loves music;
What if he also loves art?
February 1, 2026 at 3:30 PM
I watch my cat stare fixedly
At a painting
I’d stacked on the floor,
And wonder: what are his thoughts
As he stares, and what is it
That engages him —
Or did he just happen to fall asleep
In that spot on the rug
Instead of my lap?
I know he loves music;
What if he also loves art?
At a painting
I’d stacked on the floor,
And wonder: what are his thoughts
As he stares, and what is it
That engages him —
Or did he just happen to fall asleep
In that spot on the rug
Instead of my lap?
I know he loves music;
What if he also loves art?
I know it can be dark these days,
But somewhere in this night
Though it be tucked behind a cloud
There is a light that shines.
And if you cannot see that light,
It may be time for you
to be that light
For others,
who also struggle in the dark.
But somewhere in this night
Though it be tucked behind a cloud
There is a light that shines.
And if you cannot see that light,
It may be time for you
to be that light
For others,
who also struggle in the dark.
January 31, 2026 at 3:28 PM
I know it can be dark these days,
But somewhere in this night
Though it be tucked behind a cloud
There is a light that shines.
And if you cannot see that light,
It may be time for you
to be that light
For others,
who also struggle in the dark.
But somewhere in this night
Though it be tucked behind a cloud
There is a light that shines.
And if you cannot see that light,
It may be time for you
to be that light
For others,
who also struggle in the dark.
I watch the seagulls,
And they watch me,
Occasionally engaging
On this gray and windy day,
And their full white breasts
Bring back memories of the goose
I once held in my arms
And mothered into adulthood.
These animals
have so much to teach us.
When will we stop and listen?
And they watch me,
Occasionally engaging
On this gray and windy day,
And their full white breasts
Bring back memories of the goose
I once held in my arms
And mothered into adulthood.
These animals
have so much to teach us.
When will we stop and listen?
January 30, 2026 at 4:34 PM
I watch the seagulls,
And they watch me,
Occasionally engaging
On this gray and windy day,
And their full white breasts
Bring back memories of the goose
I once held in my arms
And mothered into adulthood.
These animals
have so much to teach us.
When will we stop and listen?
And they watch me,
Occasionally engaging
On this gray and windy day,
And their full white breasts
Bring back memories of the goose
I once held in my arms
And mothered into adulthood.
These animals
have so much to teach us.
When will we stop and listen?
There’s something about
the joy otters find
Both on the water’s surface
And in its depths,
And the way they float
While carrying their young
That seems so open, and tender…
So I totally understand
Why an artist would choose
to recreate them
And why my town would
place them here
For all to enjoy.
the joy otters find
Both on the water’s surface
And in its depths,
And the way they float
While carrying their young
That seems so open, and tender…
So I totally understand
Why an artist would choose
to recreate them
And why my town would
place them here
For all to enjoy.
January 29, 2026 at 3:46 PM
There’s something about
the joy otters find
Both on the water’s surface
And in its depths,
And the way they float
While carrying their young
That seems so open, and tender…
So I totally understand
Why an artist would choose
to recreate them
And why my town would
place them here
For all to enjoy.
the joy otters find
Both on the water’s surface
And in its depths,
And the way they float
While carrying their young
That seems so open, and tender…
So I totally understand
Why an artist would choose
to recreate them
And why my town would
place them here
For all to enjoy.
This photo was taken at sunrise,
But my camera was facing west:
Quite a surprise!
Just a reminder:
Beauty can be found
In unexpected places,
So be brave, and bold,
And look about you:
There is always beauty somewhere.
Find it, and let it feed your soul.
But my camera was facing west:
Quite a surprise!
Just a reminder:
Beauty can be found
In unexpected places,
So be brave, and bold,
And look about you:
There is always beauty somewhere.
Find it, and let it feed your soul.
January 28, 2026 at 10:51 PM
This photo was taken at sunrise,
But my camera was facing west:
Quite a surprise!
Just a reminder:
Beauty can be found
In unexpected places,
So be brave, and bold,
And look about you:
There is always beauty somewhere.
Find it, and let it feed your soul.
But my camera was facing west:
Quite a surprise!
Just a reminder:
Beauty can be found
In unexpected places,
So be brave, and bold,
And look about you:
There is always beauty somewhere.
Find it, and let it feed your soul.
Help us always
To see beyond the distractions
To the vulnerability that lies waiting
To be tenderly cared for
And gently exposed to the light.
To see beyond the distractions
To the vulnerability that lies waiting
To be tenderly cared for
And gently exposed to the light.
January 27, 2026 at 4:16 PM
Help us always
To see beyond the distractions
To the vulnerability that lies waiting
To be tenderly cared for
And gently exposed to the light.
To see beyond the distractions
To the vulnerability that lies waiting
To be tenderly cared for
And gently exposed to the light.
Lately I have found myself
Complaining about politics,
And though I can’t deny
My complaints
are well deserved,
I need to return to that space
In my heart
where peace is found,
And to focus on nurturing that
Til it spreads beyond
My feeble soul
And reaches out to soften
the conflicts of the world.
Complaining about politics,
And though I can’t deny
My complaints
are well deserved,
I need to return to that space
In my heart
where peace is found,
And to focus on nurturing that
Til it spreads beyond
My feeble soul
And reaches out to soften
the conflicts of the world.
January 26, 2026 at 2:27 PM
Lately I have found myself
Complaining about politics,
And though I can’t deny
My complaints
are well deserved,
I need to return to that space
In my heart
where peace is found,
And to focus on nurturing that
Til it spreads beyond
My feeble soul
And reaches out to soften
the conflicts of the world.
Complaining about politics,
And though I can’t deny
My complaints
are well deserved,
I need to return to that space
In my heart
where peace is found,
And to focus on nurturing that
Til it spreads beyond
My feeble soul
And reaches out to soften
the conflicts of the world.
Today we mourn the collapse
Of something beautiful,
And weep for the loss
Of the ideals we held dear:
How could so many folks condone
This senseless killing?
Of something beautiful,
And weep for the loss
Of the ideals we held dear:
How could so many folks condone
This senseless killing?
January 25, 2026 at 3:00 PM
Today we mourn the collapse
Of something beautiful,
And weep for the loss
Of the ideals we held dear:
How could so many folks condone
This senseless killing?
Of something beautiful,
And weep for the loss
Of the ideals we held dear:
How could so many folks condone
This senseless killing?
Perhaps it was a mistake to choose
As the symbol of our nation
A huge angry predator
Always alert for prey
And determined to be master
Of all that he surveys.
As the symbol of our nation
A huge angry predator
Always alert for prey
And determined to be master
Of all that he surveys.
January 24, 2026 at 4:30 PM
Perhaps it was a mistake to choose
As the symbol of our nation
A huge angry predator
Always alert for prey
And determined to be master
Of all that he surveys.
As the symbol of our nation
A huge angry predator
Always alert for prey
And determined to be master
Of all that he surveys.
The slow disintegration
of this cabin
Echoes
The slow disintegration
Of the values we hold dear,
Ideals embedded in our constitution,
In our faith,
And in our hearts:
Freedom, compassion, equality —
All crumbling as we watch…
of this cabin
Echoes
The slow disintegration
Of the values we hold dear,
Ideals embedded in our constitution,
In our faith,
And in our hearts:
Freedom, compassion, equality —
All crumbling as we watch…
January 23, 2026 at 5:28 PM
The slow disintegration
of this cabin
Echoes
The slow disintegration
Of the values we hold dear,
Ideals embedded in our constitution,
In our faith,
And in our hearts:
Freedom, compassion, equality —
All crumbling as we watch…
of this cabin
Echoes
The slow disintegration
Of the values we hold dear,
Ideals embedded in our constitution,
In our faith,
And in our hearts:
Freedom, compassion, equality —
All crumbling as we watch…
Early morning, and the sun is low,
The mist is rising
From the frosted lawn,
And the apple trees,
So barren in winter,
Cast long, mysterious,
inviting shadows
Expanding across the path of light
The mist is rising
From the frosted lawn,
And the apple trees,
So barren in winter,
Cast long, mysterious,
inviting shadows
Expanding across the path of light
January 22, 2026 at 1:27 PM
Early morning, and the sun is low,
The mist is rising
From the frosted lawn,
And the apple trees,
So barren in winter,
Cast long, mysterious,
inviting shadows
Expanding across the path of light
The mist is rising
From the frosted lawn,
And the apple trees,
So barren in winter,
Cast long, mysterious,
inviting shadows
Expanding across the path of light
I wish, like this brave soul,
I could rise above the controversies
Tearing my country —
and my soul — apart.
And yet, there may be
things that I can do
Here, on the ground,
To find the threads of compassion
That once bound our souls together
And re-weave them into
A basketful of hope…
I could rise above the controversies
Tearing my country —
and my soul — apart.
And yet, there may be
things that I can do
Here, on the ground,
To find the threads of compassion
That once bound our souls together
And re-weave them into
A basketful of hope…
January 21, 2026 at 5:05 PM
I wish, like this brave soul,
I could rise above the controversies
Tearing my country —
and my soul — apart.
And yet, there may be
things that I can do
Here, on the ground,
To find the threads of compassion
That once bound our souls together
And re-weave them into
A basketful of hope…
I could rise above the controversies
Tearing my country —
and my soul — apart.
And yet, there may be
things that I can do
Here, on the ground,
To find the threads of compassion
That once bound our souls together
And re-weave them into
A basketful of hope…
Waiting last night
For the northern lights,
My camera full of colors
From an earlier sunset
And sparkles from
that morning’s frost,
It seemed fitting
That the sky remained as black
As the clothing worn
By the women in black,
Who stood that afternoon
To mourn the violence
Disturbing our fair country.
For the northern lights,
My camera full of colors
From an earlier sunset
And sparkles from
that morning’s frost,
It seemed fitting
That the sky remained as black
As the clothing worn
By the women in black,
Who stood that afternoon
To mourn the violence
Disturbing our fair country.
January 20, 2026 at 3:29 PM
Waiting last night
For the northern lights,
My camera full of colors
From an earlier sunset
And sparkles from
that morning’s frost,
It seemed fitting
That the sky remained as black
As the clothing worn
By the women in black,
Who stood that afternoon
To mourn the violence
Disturbing our fair country.
For the northern lights,
My camera full of colors
From an earlier sunset
And sparkles from
that morning’s frost,
It seemed fitting
That the sky remained as black
As the clothing worn
By the women in black,
Who stood that afternoon
To mourn the violence
Disturbing our fair country.
When so much seems dark,
The mountain that lies
Beyond my window
Reminds me the world
Is larger than this;
That the sun still rises,
There is still beauty,
And all is not yet lost.
The mountain that lies
Beyond my window
Reminds me the world
Is larger than this;
That the sun still rises,
There is still beauty,
And all is not yet lost.
January 19, 2026 at 4:11 PM
When so much seems dark,
The mountain that lies
Beyond my window
Reminds me the world
Is larger than this;
That the sun still rises,
There is still beauty,
And all is not yet lost.
The mountain that lies
Beyond my window
Reminds me the world
Is larger than this;
That the sun still rises,
There is still beauty,
And all is not yet lost.