The Darkroom
It’s the way it looks in that cone of light
The way it looks before you change it.
Maybe you’ll cut a piece out
Or protect the white paper with your outstretched hand.
The picture is in your head, not on the paper.
Try to see what will happen
Do this—that
The tray, magic.
Red light makes the room spooky
Ticks of the stopwatch while you wait
The ghost emerges
Is it the one in your mind?
Lari Smith
After visiting the Griffin Museum of Photography in Winchester MA