Out of the darkness and into the light
The past is distant and the horizon bright
But in the fog of the night, there is a warning
Be fast and unseen, for danger is queen

The shadows on the wall seem so tall
The evils of the world take over all
But in the day they cringe in seclusion
Seems they are nothing but an illusion

Simplicity is an over-valued trait
Most systems are neither simple nor elegant
The world is too complex for perfection
There are just too many inflections

Colors and light dance in the night
Mystery abounds in the shadowy realm
But in the day there is no bite
Everything is plain and clear in the light

It’s difficult to preach from experience
More easy is it to read from a script
But to a new conscript, experience is nigh
The script becomes a blip, and the preacher high

At the helm of darkness, a solemn-eyed misfit
Yearns for acceptance among his criminal peers
But only in their destruction can he see
How much he fears his very own tears

Peace without justice is a prison worse than all
Tyrants remain and stonewalling reigns
But with justice comes freedom higher than law
Anarchy was never a good system, after all

Speak with ease through danger and you shall see
Most of life’s dangers will merely appease
The threat is real for eyes unseen
But known and identified, it isn’t mean

Kindness and gratitude are enviable traits
But mired in tactics, they’re filled with hate
A gift given, but left unseen
Should not be identified, or placed as a lean

It is without fanfare, that you should speak
For the fall of the mighty and the rise of the meek
The meek are not weak, they’re smarter than all
They hide no skeletons, nor run from creaks

A ballad in the night sings loud and calls
Forces of darkness seek only believers
Burn them with hatred and tragedy you’ll find
But accept them as one and blessings you’ll mind

I’ve been absent from blogging lately, but the past two days I’ve been working on programming the new Thripp.com, a photography community. You can sign up there and upload your best photos to a gallery so other members can comment on them. The new Thripp.com replaces the old WordPress MU blogging service, and I deleted all the blogs and accounts I deemed as spam. The old Thripp.com (this) is closed to new registrations, and the 80 blogs it has will remain in place.

I posted 34 photos to Thripp.com. You can comment on them and other users’ profiles, there’s a page that shows all the comments you’ve received, and you can choose your own display name. Please sign up and post your best photos.

A sign in the park at the base of the Granada Bridge in Ormond Beach Florida, where the ground is being dug up for a park. I thought it was funny.

Canon Rebel XTi, EF 28-135mm, 1/1000, F4, 44mm, ISO100, 2008-12-30T11:09:13-05, 20081230-160913rxt

Download the high-res JPEG or download the source image (Canon Rebel XTi RAW file).

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License. Credit me as Richard X. Thripp and link here.

A tree covered in spanish moss at DeLeon Springs park (Florida), in black and white.

Canon Rebel XTi, EF 28-135mm, 1/500, F3.5, 28mm, ISO400, 2008-12-31T09:28:49-05, 20081231-142849rxt

Download the high-res JPEG or download the source image (Canon Rebel XTi RAW file).

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License. Credit me as Richard X. Thripp and link here.

Power lines through a field of brush. It’s a jungle out there!

I added contrast and vignetting in Photoshop. This is the first photo I’ve posted in over a month; I’m glad to be back though.

Canon Rebel XTi, EF 28-135mm, 1/1600, F3.5, 35mm, ISO100, 2008-12-31T09:30:31-05, 20081231-143031rxt

Download the high-res JPEG or download the source image (Canon Rebel XTi RAW file).

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License. Credit me as Richard X. Thripp and link here.