Spinning Pins

The painter is looking at photographs.

One shows a farm family under an enormous tree, arranged like chess pieces on thick-legged chairs, one boy sitting on a barrel, tall sons in suspenders behind their parents, a baby’s white dress flowing over her feet and continuing extravagantly down her mother’s lap.

One shows Woody Guthrie.

One shows a collection of buffalo nickels and coins from South America.

One shows a man in a lab coat looking into a telescope.

One shows a ranch house in a small yard with a bare patch of dirt in front of the concrete stoop.

The painter looks out the window to the tops of sycamore trees, which are releasing light steam, two days’ rain meeting near-level sun.