Every Drop of Light

By Hamish Todd

Before the thought is lost

And the blue ink smudges

Beyond recognition

On the temporal page

Every drop of light

Finds its way

To the surface

Like water runs downward

Light is all around us

Aiming up into the sky

As well as down

Directly into our heart

Hamish Todd

"The girl in this picture, with the image of one of her forefathers in her mind, expresses the notion that we are better off the more we know, and that there is power and strength in knowing, and being able to draw upon, the wisdom of our ancestors. The portrait speaks not only for herself, but for those who came before her. In this case, like in so many cases, for so many races, her ancestor appears to me as a farm worker, who is new to this country, worked a hard back breaking low paying job and felt plenty desperate at times, but there she is now, the fruits of his daughter's daughter's seed."